moon
The moon is Earth’s own satellite, the fifth largest satellite in the solar system. If you’re curious, the top four spots are taken by Jupiter’s Ganymede, Callisto, and Io, along with Saturn’s Titan. The moon has exerted its influence across millenia, through its regulation of tides, the tales of time spun by its phases, the sense of awe invoked when it passes in front of the sun, and the pale rose color it dons when engulfed by the Earth’s shadow. When the skies are too bright image because of the moon, it’s easy to make the moon your target. A gibbous moon offers nice contrast, a half moon presents the ragged edge of a dividing line between light and dark, while a crescent moon offers long shadows, deep craters and sharp detail.
| Diameter (km) | (mi) | (Earths) | From Earth(km) | (mi) | Orbit | Mass (Earths) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,476 | 2,160 | 0.27 | 385,000 | 239,228 | 27.32d | 1/81 |
Enjoy these images, videos, and blogs that celebrate the closest solar system body we can image.
Images
I took this photograph as the moon was moving away from the sun, signaling the end of the eclipse. The moon creates a stark contrast with the sun that brought out rich details on the surface and edges. The solid edge in the image is caused by the technique I use to create the frame, which is essentially subtracting the surface details from the image of the outer corona to create an inverted rendering that has depth, detail, and contrast.
2024-04-08
At the height of totality, the sun becomes a silver ring in the sky and if you are able to look, you can see bright red dots where the large prominences exist. It is a deeply transforming experience and of all the photos I captured, this one looks closest to what I saw with my unaided eyes.
2024-04-08
Just as the moon begins to completely cover the sun in what is referred to as C1 - first contact, the contrast from the last bit of light creates a bright flare and creates the illusion of a celestial diamond ring.
2024-04-08
Another moon shot taken with the power-packed combination of the Celestron EdgeHD 9.25 and a Sony A7R IV mirrorless camera.
2024-02-23
A beautiful, clear night prompted me to try a new combination by using my Sony A7R IV camera on the Celestron EdgeHD 9.25', a combination I hadn't tried before. It resulted in my highest resolution image of the moon ever.
2024-02-13
First light with a new camera. Attached the Sony A7R IV to the Redcat 71 with a 2x Barlow lens and captured this image of the moon.
2023-12-24
Took a single exposure just long enough to reveal the detail illuminated by the sun's reflection off the earth ('earthshine') but short enough to let the crescent shine without oversaturating.
2023-12-08
The November full moon is known as the Beaver moon. To create this image, I captured several hundred images with my Celestron Universe #EdgeHD 9.25 scope at 1.635 meters focal length. I used a ZWO ASI #asi294mmpro cooled camera in a mode that captures 8k x 5k images. The magnification was so high that I had to do a mosaic. I imaged the top 4/5ths with red, green, and blue filters, then the same with the bottom. I aligned the top and bottom and blended them for each filter, then aligned the full disk for red, green, and blue to produce a color image. Here it is!
2023-11-27
The moon was beautiful and bright Wednesday night when I captured 120 gigabytes of data for this shot. Zoom in to see Tycho, Copernicus, and Plato.
2023-11-22
The crescent moon was beautiful this month. On the coast, it hangs low in the sky and drifts over the ocean until disappearing in the water. Here's a close up from Newport.
2023-11-18
6,000 frames went into this full color image of the moon created from combining red, green, and blue filters on a monochrome camera.
2023-10-31
This detailed color image centers on the beautiful crater Plato just beneath Mare Imbrium (the Sea of Showers). Up and right from Plato is the short Montes Recti range. In the upper left the two distinctive craters are Kepler and Copernicus. Copernicus is the bigger one.
2023-10-26
The Last Harvest: a cloudy moon in Newport
I couldn't let a silly thing like clouds ruin my chance to photograph the last supermoon of 2023! This is the Harvest Moon.
2023-09-28
The Milky Way from Cape Foulweather
I took advantage of one of the last clear nights for several weeks to head a few minutes north of our home to Cape Foulweather. Milky Way season is nearing its end and I wanted to capture it over the water. I didn't plan well as I was not expecting the moon to be so close, or so bright, but in the end, it worked out. Sony Alpha 6300, f/2 12mm Samyang lens on a Sky Adventurer Mini (SAM) tracker.
2023-09-20
Moon reflection on the Pacific Ocean
The moon here is actually in the crescent phase but my longer exposure is washed out in light so I could highlight the reflection cast over Gull Rock near Otter Rock, Oregon.
2023-09-20
ookout on Cape Foulweather. From the vantage point several hundred meters above sea level, you can look out across the Pacific Ocean and down the Oregon Coast. I spent an evening there capturing images as the sun set and the bright crescent moon slid across the horizon to illuminate the water and the prominent outcrop known as 'Gull Rock.' I was able to capture the Milky Way despite its proximity to the moon. The buildings in the lower left are part of the Inn at Otter Crest. The first outcrop is a viewing area at the Inn at Otter Crest, and the more distant one is called the Devil's Punch Bowl. The glow you see on the horizon at the edge of the coast is the city of Newport. The glow farther inland is from the city of Toledo. The bright moon made processing interesting. I decided to use one exposure for the land and ocean details (1/45th second at ISO 400 taken earlier) and five 6-second exposures at ISO 4000 for the sky details. I stacked the longer exposures twice: once at full frame, then a second time cropped to just the stars and Milky Way to avoid the saturation caused by the moon. I stacked those together to produce the final result. This is a re-process of older data.
2023-09-20
Yeah, well awake before the break that dawns on night, Nothing at stake but subs to take in low moonlight. Venus bright, the moon a sliver curving line When behold the sight unfolds and unfurls earthshine. 50 millimeters on a Samyang lens with a Sony Alpha it were, 6300 the model 6 seconds the throttle the image now all but secure.
2023-09-12
Archimedes and the Apollo 15 Landing Site
A close up of the region of the moon where the Apollo 15 mission landed.
2023-08-05
A timelapse tracks the moon, Jupiter, Saturn and the Seven Sisters as they wander the evening skies.
2023-08-04
Last night, I recorded the crescent moon for 30 minutes, collected 45,000 frames and 180 gigabytes of data. The mosaic I created is huge and high resolution!
2023-07-22
Full moon over trees on Oregon coast
The full moon rises behind trees on the Oregon coast.
2023-07-07
My answer to the question: can you capture the Milky Way during a full moon? Sure, but why go through the trouble? Dark skies rule, but clear skies can be forgiving. Although the moon was right in front of the Milky Way, I shot it directly for 45 seconds at my lowest ISO. You can clearly see lens flare, dark spots from dust on the lens, and our own galaxy.
2023-07-03
I recently pointed my Samyang 12mm southeast over the glow of downtown Monroe to capture a time lapse from dusk until dawn. I stacked these frames to capture the descent of the moon.
2023-06-28
The moon was reflected in the waters of the river, so I snapped this photograph without realizing it also captured the reflection of stars in water.
2023-06-26
Earthshine: when sunlight reflected from the earth and its atmosphere illuminates the unlit portion of the moon. Single 1.5-second exposure with Sony Alpha 6300 mirrorless camera and Svbony sv503 70ED doublet refractor at 336mm f/5.
2023-06-12
The strawberry moon is the first full moon of June. It marks the season when strawberries begin to ripen for harvest. It also signifies the transition from spring to summer. Happy summer, everyone!
2023-06-04
The strawberry moon is the first full moon of June. It marks the season when strawberries begin to ripen for harvest. It also signifies the transition from spring to summer. Happy summer, everyone!
2023-06-04
Craters Cyrillus (left) and Theophilus (right) both contain features including other craters ('sub' craters) and peaks. The largest peak in Theophilus rises to 2.8 kilometers or about 1 3/4 miles tall.
2023-05-29
I know, I know. I take so many pictures of the moon! But it's such an available target! Last night, it was perfectly clear, so I was able to capture a very detailed image of Luna's pockmarked surface. Here is our beloved celestial neighbor at nearly half illumination.
2023-05-27
A close look at the very distinct crater Plato taken with a QHY5III462C camera.
2023-05-11
A brilliant waxing gibbous moon seen from the Florissant Fossil Beds National Park.
2023-04-28
2023-04-24
This is an 'almost' half-illuminated moon, one day past first quarter. I took this image during the day while aligning and focusing my telescope. The moon was high and seeing was above average for my location, so I captured this image.
2023-03-29
Along the edge of shadow splitting the moon from north to south is a line of magnificent craters. Large and left is Manganus. Top middle is the large Deslandres, pounded by several other craters that have deformed its shape. The pair of almost perfect circles to the right with peaks in the middle are Arzachel and Alphonsus.
2023-03-29
The large crater in the upper right is Archimedes. Below that, an imaginary line from Aristillus and Autolycus pointing towards the center of the image will land just north of the Apollo 15 landing site on the opposite side of the ridge. The break in the ridge is the boundary between Mare Imbrium (top) and Mare Serinitatis (bottom). The left is dominated by Mare Vaporum. The lower right craters are named Eudoxus and Aristoteles.
2023-03-29
The crescent moon hovers above volcano Mt. Rainier just before the sun rises.
2023-03-16
A close up of the Montes Caucasus ridge with craters Aristoteles and Eudoxus in the upper lest.
2023-03-15
The Mare Crisium region. The Sea of Crisis was named in the 17th century when astronomers widely believed the dark patches on the moon were oceans. It is actually an enormous crater or impact basin that spans 740 kilometers (460 miles).
2023-02-25
It's been cloudy for days, so when I woke up and saw the moon, I knew I had to photograph it. I quickly grabbed my 2x Barlow lens, e-mount adapter, Sony Alpha 6300 and Svbony sv503 70ED and assembled them to shoot about 4 minutes. I processed in AstroSurface (video coming).
2023-02-10
This is the north end of Mare Serenitatis. The craters above the ridge are Eudoxus and Aristoteles. Both of these craters have shattered rims with internal peaks. The one on the right with the crater-inside-the-crater is Posidonius.
2023-01-28
It was a cloudy evening as we kicked off 2023. The moon was near Mars, but the clouds threatened to destroy any chance of photographing them. However, something else happened. The moon created a rainbow-like ring in the clouds and Mars punched through a thin opening. This moonring was created by combining a fast exposure (for the moon detail) with a slow exposure.
2023-01-03
Which way is up? Most of my lunar images are framed using the same orientation they were captured, which is fairly arbitrary when considering the camera can be rotated. This image features a large section of the lunar surface dominated by the crater named Plato.
2023-01-02
A close up of the moon showing the prominent crater Archimedes with nearby Aristillus and Autolycus.
2023-01-02
Copernicus is a prominent crater easily visible at a distance due to the bright ejecta radiating from the center of impact. The interior is marked by distinctive peaks and the rim has collapsed and eroded in sections. The the right, Kepler is surrounded by rays that extend 500km across the lunar surface.
2022-12-18
The prominent crater in the lower left is Archimedes. Apollo 15 landed 180km away. In the upper right is Cassini. It is distinct with two prominent 'sub craters' inside.
2022-12-18
Closeup of the craters Ptolemaeus with Alphonsus, Arzachel, Albategnius and Herschel with long shadows at the edge of lunar daylight.
2022-12-15
This is one of the most detailed and highest resolution shots of the moon I've captured. 72 megapixels of lunar detail.
2022-12-15
A lucky imaging session combined nearly 1,000 pictures at a 2ms exposure to create this detailed, colorful capture of the lunar surface.
2022-12-03
Despite their best effort, the clouds were unable to contain the defiant brilliance of the moon and nearby Jupiter.
2022-12-02
Like tire treads pressed in mud, the clouds ripple across a stubborn moon that refuses to hide. It's rather full of itself.
2022-11-10
The Pacific Northwest weather decided to interfere with the last total lunar eclipse of 2022. In order, you see the clear full moon already eclipsed, followed by a smaller sliver exposed through clouds and fog making it bluish, and finally the fully eclipsed red moon partially obscurred by clouds.
2022-11-08
The result of photographing the moon after severe thunderstorms washed away all the fog and created clear seeing conditions.
2022-11-05
My first photograph on the Cayman Islands includes the Pleiades and a very bright moon.
2022-10-15
A detailed shot of a crescent moon turned red by smoke from forest fires.
2022-09-29
A close-up of the Tycho crater that is prominent in the lower corner of the moon.
2022-08-15
Closeup of Copernicus and Kepler
A close up of the large crater named Copernicus on the moon, with smaller but prominent Kepler to the side.
2022-08-11
A supermoon occurs when the moon's orbit brings it closer to Earth, so it appears bigger and brighter. The July supermoon is expected to be the brightest of the year. It's called the Thunder moon because it heralds the season of thunderstorms in the North American summer. This is a mosaic taken from four zoomed shots.
2022-07-13
July 2022 Lunar Transit by the International Space Station (ISS)
A timelapse of the International Space Station (ISS) passing between Earth and the Moon.
2022-07-11
A detailed image of the half Moon
This is a high resolution, detailed image of the half moon.
2022-06-06
The existing colors in this detailed moon pic had their saturation boosted to bring out the colorful contrast.
2022-05-20
This image of the moon was stacked from multiple images taken while it was behind clouds. The detail of the moon popped out to make it appear to float above the clouds.
2022-03-16
This image of the moon was stacked from multiple images taken while it was behind clouds. The layering of clouds give it an embossed appearance.
2022-03-16
Four unfiltered images of the moon: a blue taken by day, a yellow due to fog, and a red due to forest fire smoke in addition to the traditional gray.
2022-01-14
Videos
The day after sturgeon supermoon, the almost full moon rises over the trees on a distant mountain ridge.
2023-08-03 00:00:00 +0000
I pointed my camera behind the fence. You'll never guess what I found! Seven Sisters, Orion, and even Jupiter stopped by.
2023-10-22 00:00:00 +0000
Colorado Springs 2023: Astrophotography on the road
Gear: Svbony sv503 70ED 70mm (420mm f/7 or 336mm f/5 with reducer) doublet refractor, Sony Alpha 6300 mirrorless camera, assorted Samyang manual focus lenses, Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi 'go to' mount, Manfrotto tripod. Targets: Milky Way, Moon, SpaceX Crew-5 Dragon trunk, M13, Orion constellation, Venus, and Antares region with part of Rho Ophiuchi.
2023-05-05 00:00:00 +0000
Timelapse of time spent taking timed captures of the sky looking south from Cape Foulweather. To the left is the Inn at Otter Crest, further down is the Yaquina Head lighthouse, and the glow in the distance is my new hometown, Newport.
2023-10-03 00:00:00 +0000
Imaging M1 (and Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon)
On December 14th I pointed my telescope to the sky. I captured Mars, Jupiter, and the moon with my planetary QHY5III462C before I switched to the deep sky ASI294MC Pro. After setting up an advanced script in N.I.N.A., I let it run all night and used the results to create my best picture of the Crab Nebula to date. It's all documented including setting up and balancing my rig.
2022-12-17 00:00:00 +0000
May 21, 2022 - planets, nebulae, and more
Join me for a night of viewing. I observed several nebulae (the Iris Nebula, the Dumbbell Nebula, and the Eagle Nebula) and the moon all night until 3am when the planets Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter appeared in that order.
2022-05-22 00:00:00 +0000
My best space pictures taken in 2022
Collage of planets, galaxies, nebulae, and more that I captured in 2022. From Saturn and Andromeda to Thor's Helmet and the Milky Way.
2022-12-20 00:00:00 +0000
Seven Sisters and Luna on a Cloudy Night
The bright moon can't quite overpower the Pleiades, but it's the clouds that end up with the last word in this timelapse.
2022-11-20 00:00:00 +0000
Stacking Nonlinear Images (the Moon) with PixInsight
Simple tutorial showing how to take nonlinear images and register/stack them to improve the detail. Workflow uses the moon captured by my Stellina with seven shots. Blink, FFTRegistration script, dynamic crop, multiscale linear transform and curves transformation.
2021-04-17 00:00:00 +0000
Symmetry: The Harvest Supermoon and the Sun
A video of the last supermoon of 2023 appearing in a cloud sky following by the morning sun from the following day.
2023-10-03 00:00:00 +0000
The Cayman Collection (behind the scenes)
My adventures in Grand Cayman photographing Mars, the Pleiades, Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Orion, M31: the Andromeda Galaxy and M33: the Triangulum Galaxy using my Sony Alpha 6300 mirrorless camera with 12mm and 50mm Samyang lenses, the Svbony sv503 70ED 420mm doublet refractor, and using the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi mount.
2022-10-25 00:00:00 +0000
A timelapse of Saturn, the moon, and Jupiter making their way across the sky. Shot with a Sony Alpha 6300 mirrorless camera on a fixed tripod with 8 second exposures on a Samyang 12mm f/2 lens.
2023-08-05 00:00:00 +0000
The best images I captured in 2023
Hold on to your hats! We're going for a ride. 2023 was a breakout year for my astrophotography as I had my first access to dark sites, refined my Milky Way technique, got closer to the moon and started working with planets, processed my first comet, made my first solar filter to take solar shots, and a lot of new and improved targets with the addition of narrowband filters.
2023-12-14 00:00:00 +0000
I planned over a year for this total solar eclipse. I dragged gear across the country and watched the forecast predict thunderstorms as the day drew near. The experience itself was unforgettable. Here is my story about, and my photographs of, the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Taken on location in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
2024-04-08 00:00:00 +0000