Supermoon 2019: Best way to photograph the supermoon TONIGHT
THE February supermoon lights up the night sky tonight, and will be the biggest and brightest of the year. Here are some top tips on how to photograph the celestial event.
NASA outline what makes a supermoon 'super'
This year’s biggest supermoon is almost us as the night sky is dominated by the lunar spectacle. February’s full moon will brighten the skies on Tuesday as the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year. The super snow moon is the second of three supermoon events in the first three months of the year.
The moon will look significantly larger than normal because it will be near its closest distance to Earth during its orbit around the planet.
Astronomers at NASA call the moon a perigean or supermoon and the even will coincide with a full moon that is often referred to as a snow moon.
The moon is referred to as a snow moon as it’s winter in the northern hemisphere and snow usually blankets the ground during this time.
Gianluca Masi, an astronomer with The Virtual Telescope Project, said compared to an average full moon, this month’s supermoon “will appear about 7 percent bigger and a bit brighter.”
He said: “Casual stargazers will not recognise this at their first glance, these are not really obvious variations, but they add charm to the event, a precious opportunity to admire our natural satellite in the night sky context, an increasingly overlooked and forgotten landscape.”
Best Way to photograph the supermoon
Steven Morris, an award-winning Adelaide-based astrophotographer has shared his top tips for getting the best results when photographing the supermoon.
Use a tripod
Using a tripod will improve the quality and sharpness of your moon photographs
Live view screen
If you can’t achieve autofocus then use your live view screen, zoom in on the moon using the live view screen and adjust your focus
Focus lengths
Using focal lengths of 200mm or more will start to show nice detail of the moon’s surface.
Exposure
A quick exposure of around 1/800th or faster helps with countering the earths rotation and leaves you with a nice clear image.
You could also use a shutter release cable or the timer function on your camera.
Apertures
Using apertures of around F/8 should yield sharp results.
ISO
Depending on the phase of the moon your ISO may need to be increased.
Focal length lenses
If you’re using long focal length lenses, just keep in mind that atmospheric turbulence can reduce the sharpness of your moon images.
Wait for a moment of clear skies, where the atmosphere settles down briefly, or take a few photographs throughout the night to maximise your chances of catching a sharp image.