NOW.............

[Kodan_Txips]

The moon is near as dammit an 18% grey card, so set your exposure as though it was an average summer day, Don't forget that it is not a little grey circle in the sky, it is actually a light source.

The best way would be to get your Weston exposure meter, and go there to take an incident light reading...

 

[Rob]

Hmm. Managed to get a few shots but I was a bit disappointed with them.

Anybody know what's the best aperture to use?

That's pretty damn good effort though! Most of the moon shots you see in the books are in B&W, so perhaps you'd be able to expose some more detail by fiddling and converting.

The aperture used should be the optimum for your lens, as there's no depth-of-field involved - it's all at infinity. With most lenses it's a couple of stops down and I believe many manufacturers colour code the optimum aperture. RTM of your lens I guess.

Rob

 

[binglemybongle]

Maybe getting a bit ahead of myself but...........

Apparently this time next year will be the best view of the moon for 19 years. It was last night as well.

It looks its biggest around summer solstice due to optical effects (proximity to the earth and refraction of light). Can be viewed and seems twice as big and yellow(y).

Next year though (and i am quoting here) it is coming to the end of its 19 year orbit. Around what im not quite sure. But im guessing its the perihelion passage.

So set watches to count down..............

Thinking about it the time of year might well delend on where you are. These guesstimates are for Britain.


Personally I think its all cheese related.

 

[EmergentFungus]

It orbits around Earth, but I didn't think it was as long as 19 years. Clouds again last night so I couldn't get a piccie...

 

[PlasticSpanner]

The best way would be to get your Weston exposure meter, and go there to take an incident light reading...

If anyone wants a navigator for the trip I'm available!

Unless I'm completely wrong (which has happened in the past!) The moon orbits the earth roughly every month (which is why we get a full moon every month?) and it's orbit is elliptical and concentric so every now and again it's physically closer. Imagine an elliptical circle round the earth where the closest part of the curve moves closer to and further away every so often. The earth rotates once every 24 hours so the moon comes into view each night until its path takes it into the earths shadow (crescent moon!) and then finally dissapears.

In this case yes the moon will vary in elevation depending on how far north or south you are but it's distance from me at 53 degrees north in UK will be the same as someone at 53 degrees north in USA/Canada (in fact anywere 53degrees north!)

Like most other things it also appears bigger in the human eye so a good tele lens will be needed and as the atmosphere and pollution vary all the time what could be a good exposure one night may be useless another which is why it's better to try to bracket it a few stops.

Now, can anyone shift these clouds in the UK for me!:x

 

[binglemybongle]

It orbits around Earth, but I didn't think it was as long as 19 years.

I know the moon orbits the earth every monthe thats why we have a full moon every month.

But theres a movement of planets and satellites called procession of the perehelion (or is it perehelion passage???)

Its hard to describe without a diagram but here goes:

When the moon orbits the earth and comes back to where the same point, the plain in which it is rotating, has itself rotated by a small amount.

So basically if you looked every lunar month at the same time (as if it were freeze frame), you would see the moon rotaing in a different plain.

Clear as mud???

Another way is imagine that when the moon orbits around the earth and comes to the same point it has effectively made a disc through the earth. This disc rotate over 19 years.

Clear as tar?! I cant even remember what the thread was about now........... who are you? get out of my house!!!