Sometimes it’s 225,622 miles. Sometimes it’s 252,088 miles. But when you zoom in it’s only a few inches.
A little closer…
Keep going…
That’s better!
This is not an image you can see simply by looking up at the moon with your naked eye. Binoculars help. You’re wife’s camera with a 1200mm zoom lens is ideal. You can see the maria (mar-ee-uh) – Latin for “seas”. They are volcanic plains made up of rock similar to rocks found in Hawaii. So if you’re on a tight budget or don’t have time for astronaut training but still want moon-like rocks just go to Hawaii.
You can clearly see the lunar terminator, as well. It’s the line between night and day. Since this moon is waxing it’s being lit from the right (from our perspective). This creates shadows on the inside right of craters and outside left of mountains.
We are are night sky watchers. The moon is easiest thing to watch. The ISS (International Space Station) is also fun to catch. You can look up observation times for your area here. It flies by every 90 minutes but since it doesn’t make its own light you have to catch it right after sunset or right before sunrise when sunlight reflects off of it. But since it’s visible here at 4:30 in the morning, I won’t be seeing it until they start coming by in the evening.
And to think this is the exact same moon every one every where on Earth sees.
Ahh… A cool spring evening with a light breeze chiming the dragonfly wind chimes.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing.
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Bella luna!
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Gracias!
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Pingback: Commentition Magnifique May 2016 | I Read Encyclopedias for Fun
Wow!
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Thanks 🙂 I hope to try some planets, next. The moon was tough, though. I’m not expecting much success with Saturn 🙂
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I took pictures of the eclipse, and the rare red moon last year… it looked like I put a pin hole in a sheet of paper then clicked. My photographic future was thwarted before it began. 😯😕
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Without a decent zoom it’ll look like its 240,000 miles away 🙂 I have a 300mm zoom lens on my camera and even that’s not even close. My wife’s camera zooms in to the same magnification as our telescope.
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Wow that is some serious kit! Mine was an android tablet… sacrilege *shakes head in shame*
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She has a Canon Powershot 50x. It’s just a fancy point and shoot.
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Sold at a fancy price i have no doubt, but her eye for detail and capturing the moment can never be bought.
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A post from the night of the red moon… https://ellenbest24.wordpress.com/2015/09/27/blood-red-moon/
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I wonder. If you were on the moon right next to that lunar terminator and you moved east, when you cross that line, is is immediately black?
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LOL Nope. Just like here on Earth. When you’re on the moon you can see the Earth’s terminator line. But when you’re on the Earth there’s no definite line between night and day. Same thing on the moon. There’s twilight. Great question, though! Thanks for asking. It does look like there’s a definite difference between light and dark.
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lol
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Wow, how cool!
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Thanks, E!
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Stunning!
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Thanks 🙂
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I love that feeling when you look at the moon that, as you say, it’s the same one that everyone on earth sees, albeit not always at the same time. Beautiful pictures. #FabFridayPost
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Thank you! It’s not always the same night sky, but it always the same moon. Thanks for visiting!
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Very interesting indeed! I had no idea that you can see the moon with a 1200mm zoom camera lens. Cool! Thanks for linking up with #FabFridayPost 🙂
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You’ll need a tripod and remote shutter button, too 🙂 I’m no where near steady enough to zoom in that far while holding the camera. Most telescopes are 1200mm. Thanks for stopping by!
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That’s great! Thanks for the tip – I don’t have a 1200mm lens – but perhaps in the near future – I think Ethan will be very interested in this. 🙂
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My next attempt will be Saturn. It doesn’t rise untill around 11 pm and I’ll have to find it in the camera lens. My expectations are nearly 0, but it’s worth a shot! Definitely lots of fun!
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