Stunning Moon Photo

[Laurie]

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16822681

This image is a mosaic of 15 separate and slightly overlapping 8.2 megapixel images from a Canon EOS-20D (unmodified), taken in Raw mode and converted and stitched together in Photoshop CS2. Stunning!

Apologies if its been posted before

[sirhc55]

That is one fantastic photo

[Justin]

Brilliant - a little further on in the thread - here is how he created the image -

This image is a mosaic of 15 separate and slightly overlapping 8.2 megapixel images from my Canon EOS-20D (unmodified), taken in Raw mode and converted and stitched together in Photoshop CS2. As you can see from the EXIF data, the exposures were each 1/5 second at ISO 100.

Though the moon is generally made of gray, dusty material it is very bright, photographically, since it is bathed in sunlight.

I mounted my 20D to my Meade LX200 GPS UHTC 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope via my 2x Televue Powermate (a focal length doubler, similar to a teleconverter, which also serves to mate my camera to the 2" telescope eyepiece tube). Effective focal length was 5000mm f/20.

Looking through the viewfinder I swept across the surface in a zig-zag fashion, trying for about 1/3 overlap between frames. I triggered the shutter with my TC80-N3 remote timer/controller. I did the stitching by hand in Photoshop.

Since it is tremendously downsized from the original mosaic, which was almost 40 megapixels, and was taken at the camera's most noise-free setting (ISO 100), the data is very accurate, and thus I was able to strongly increase the saturation via Photoshop's Image - Adjust - Hue/Saturation function.

[Alpha_7]

I wonder if he'd post a bigger version since the final image is 40 megapixel. The details is great, and I also like the over staturated feel, make it feel like it's from a sci-fi movie or game.

[ozczecho]

Wow...awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[Mal]

That is simply stunning

[Manta]

I can't remember seeing a better moon shot.

[stubbsy]

Thanks for the link Laurie. That's a very impressive image.

[Greg B]

Outstanding, thanks for the link. What a bottler.

[elffinarts]

bloody amazing. I used to look at astro stuff all the time while living with an astrophysicist and nothing matched this. At 40MP it'd make for brilliant posters!

[Gordon]

Definitely a very nice image, I'd call it digital art though, not a "photo" as such, the background stars have been added in Photoshop, they were acquired with a different exposure. Because of the long exposures required for stars, it is not possible to record faint stars right next to the moon when it is bright, such as it is in this image.

I should get out at night and take some astroimages with the D200 on the telescope, something I havent done yet.
At some stage I might remove the filter from in front of my D70's CCD and convert it to an astrocamera, depending on how well the D200 performs.

Gordon

[Justin]

Aggghhhh this darn photo I've set it as my desktop and can't stop looking at it!!!

Gordon - you astrophysicists!!! All photos are art!

[Gordon]

Gordon - you astrophysicists!!! All photos are art!

hehe, well I'd agree that most, err make that some, photos are art, but the 600 or more 16megapixel digital images I take on a typical night at work are definitely not art!


Gordon

[Yi-P]

I've attempted this before, but my only success was moon on star trails...

[mic]

This is Jaw Dropping Stuff, I don't understand How the F can you produce something like that.

I am a Moonie from way back and have never seen such a clear pic.

Bloody great effort & result.

I'm speechless.

Mic.

[Big V]

Stars and the moon dont look natural!!! not to us astronomers anyway..
dont forget early friday morning there is a partial lunar eclipse, so you will be able to photograph the moon with a partial shadow over it..

[Alpha_7]

How partial and what time Big V ?

[norbs]

Lets hope this weather does a runner, or there wont be any moon watching tommorow morning.

[Gordon]

At about 4:40am AEST, this much :


The umbral phase (the inner dark part of Earth's shadow on the Moon) starts at 4:03 and ends at 5:39, although the sky will be getting bright by the end with civil twilight starting, ie Sun 6 degrees below horizon for my part of the country.

Gordon

[Alpha_7]

Thanks Gordon, a very useful explanation.

[adam]

Full moon tonight, with Perigee a few hours later. But the weather isn't looking good

[Big V]

Thanks Gordon for putting that up..

[Gordon]

The very saturated image of the moon has made Astronomical Picture of the Day today:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

Gordon
who has had quite a few APODs too

[mic]

Hey Yip,

Just incase you didn't get my PM

Hi Yip,

Mic here.

That little pic of the Moon and star trails you posted, I was wandering if I may take a copy of your Moon shot and use it in a photo I'm working on ?

I love the detail in it, If you don't want to I'll understand as I have others but I thought your one was just right.

Cheers,

Mic.

[mic]

Hello YIP , Are you receiving, over.

Mic.

[dj69]

Great shot. I think i need a telescope...

[Yi-P]

Hello YIP , Are you receiving, over.

Mic.

Received and out. over.