Night Lunar Eclipse and Stars

Lunar Eclipse and Stars · **5 Likes**

This is my best image of the lunar eclipse. I waited for maximum eclipse for the moon to darken. That allowed faint stars near the moon to show.

The moon was very dark and a tracking mount was essential to avoid blur in a 3 second exposure. I took several photos in case one was sharper than others. I also varied ISO and shutter speed so I could pick the best one later. My original plan was to process the raw DNG file later for best results but I also experimented with a few in-camera HDR shots. I got similar results processing raw DNG and HDR JPG files. The one linked here started as an HDR JPG.

Rimfiredude · 09-28-2015, 11:06 PM - **1 Like**

nice shot

GeoJerry · 09-29-2015, 12:20 AM

This is superb! I wish I could do this, but the talk of tracking mounts leaves me feeling lost and not up to the task. Great job.

**wtlwdwgn** · 09-29-2015, 07:18 AM

Fine shot!

normhead · 09-29-2015, 07:54 AM

Looks great....

DeadJohn · 09-29-2015, 10:19 AM

Originally posted by GeoJerry

This is superb! I wish I could do this, but the talk of tracking mounts leaves me feeling lost and not up to the task. Great job.

You can do things similar to this without a tracking mount. Tracking mounts are only needed with long exposures for dim objects. Crank up the ISO next lunar eclipse and you can get by with a 1 second exposure at 300mm.

Or aim for a normal moon when you'll have a lot more light. The normal moon is less interesting than an eclipse, so include another distant object to add interest. Why distant? 1) You want a long lens to make the moon large so you need the "foreground" to be far enough to be a reasonably small size. 2) You have to be at infinity focus for the moon so your "foreground" has to be far away to be in focus.

Sunrise and sunset are opportunities, too. Find something on the horizon and line it up between you and the sun. Be wary of eye and sensor damage from aiming at the sun.

Na Horuk · 09-29-2015, 01:21 PM

Nice setup and well done. Moon definitely looks bloody, and the visible stars are a nice touch!

GeoJerry · 09-29-2015, 07:30 PM

Originally posted by DeadJohn

You can do things similar to this without a tracking mount. Tracking mounts are only needed with long exposures for dim objects. Crank up the ISO next lunar eclipse and you can get by with a 1 second exposure at 300mm.

Or aim for a normal moon when you'll have a lot more light. The normal moon is less interesting than an eclipse, so include another distant object to add interest. Why distant? 1) You want a long lens to make the moon large so you need the "foreground" to be far enough to be a reasonably small size. 2) You have to be at infinity focus for the moon so your "foreground" has to be far away to be in focus.

Sunrise and sunset are opportunities, too. Find something on the horizon and line it up between you and the sun. Be wary of eye and sensor damage from aiming at the sun.

Thanks DeadJohn for your tips! I'm going up to Mono Lake this weekend so I'll try some night shots then.

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09-28-2015, 11:06 PM - 1 Like	#2
Rimfiredude Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Washington Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,176	nice shot

09-29-2015, 12:20 AM	#3
GeoJerry Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,158	This is superb! I wish I could do this, but the talk of tracking mounts leaves me feeling lost and not up to the task. Great job.

09-29-2015, 07:18 AM	#4
wtlwdwgn Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Billings, MT Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,845	Fine shot!

09-29-2015, 07:54 AM	#5
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Looks great....

09-29-2015, 10:19 AM	#6
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,834 Original Poster	Originally posted by GeoJerry This is superb! I wish I could do this, but the talk of tracking mounts leaves me feeling lost and not up to the task. Great job. You can do things similar to this without a tracking mount. Tracking mounts are only needed with long exposures for dim objects. Crank up the ISO next lunar eclipse and you can get by with a 1 second exposure at 300mm. Or aim for a normal moon when you'll have a lot more light. The normal moon is less interesting than an eclipse, so include another distant object to add interest. Why distant? 1) You want a long lens to make the moon large so you need the "foreground" to be far enough to be a reasonably small size. 2) You have to be at infinity focus for the moon so your "foreground" has to be far away to be in focus. Sunrise and sunset are opportunities, too. Find something on the horizon and line it up between you and the sun. Be wary of eye and sensor damage from aiming at the sun.

09-29-2015, 01:21 PM	#7
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Nice setup and well done. Moon definitely looks bloody, and the visible stars are a nice touch!

09-29-2015, 07:30 PM	#8
GeoJerry Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,158	Originally posted by DeadJohn You can do things similar to this without a tracking mount. Tracking mounts are only needed with long exposures for dim objects. Crank up the ISO next lunar eclipse and you can get by with a 1 second exposure at 300mm. Or aim for a normal moon when you'll have a lot more light. The normal moon is less interesting than an eclipse, so include another distant object to add interest. Why distant? 1) You want a long lens to make the moon large so you need the "foreground" to be far enough to be a reasonably small size. 2) You have to be at infinity focus for the moon so your "foreground" has to be far away to be in focus. Sunrise and sunset are opportunities, too. Find something on the horizon and line it up between you and the sun. Be wary of eye and sensor damage from aiming at the sun. Thanks DeadJohn for your tips! I'm going up to Mono Lake this weekend so I'll try some night shots then.