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While helping a friend testing a new scope last night, took this quick grab through my 8 inch travel scope - focal length 2000mm..

Looks like half a moon to me. Why is it called a "quarter moon" then?

Matthew,it is called quarter moon because it a quarter the way through a lunar cycle - it is at a right angle to the sun. Yes half of the disc is illuminated but it goes to full illumination of the disc (full moon)- when it is opposite the sun, then back through last quarter - again at a right angle to the sun, to new moon - when it is next to the sun, so at first quarter it looks like this. Hope that explains it.

So, when is it a half moon then?

Another great shot really like the detail - if your friends not happy with the result I'll take the scope off his hands for half price..mind you having a great camera and a lot of skill has got a lot to do with it.
DebT

pfffft, who needs a 2000mm scope



(oh and if you had not noticed..yes I am jealous... )

I assume that is an uncropped image also?! There would be some good detail in there i would imagine....

Gerry, Yes uncropped..did you use a scope for this shot? Even with a crop body and a 300mm lens it would not appear that big.

Yes uncropped..did you use a scope for this shot?

no, and yes mine was cropped (about 60%)

a 300mm lens it would not appear that big.

taken with the 100-300mm on a D80

similar to one I took last year here and here

Big V, that is a really nice moon photo. How does your 8 inch telescope attach to your camera?

I would assume there is a camera adaptor available. They are available for many spotting scopes.

I use a camera adapter with a two inch throar and it then screws on to the back of my schmidt cassegrain scope. When using a newtonian I take the screw adapter off and insert the two inch throat into where the eye piece would normally go..

great stuff. I would leave a little bit of room at the top for the moon to breath.

What sort exposures are you using for the moon? ISO 100 1/125 F11 or so?

ISO 3200 1250 of a second The telescope is a f10. THe reason such a high shutter is with these long focallength scopes it is important to try and freeze the moments of good seeing.