Tonight's Moon 2021; share your photos here

Last years thread provided lots of interesting and colourful photos, so I thought we'd carry it on, but for 2021. The link to last years thread: "Tonight's Moon 2020; share your photos here" if you're interested in looking back. Photos can be of the night-time or daytime moon, and it doesn't matter whether you can clearly see the craters or not, because getting scenes with the moon in, will not always be possible to clearly see the detail.

The following (in green) are some tips taken from the Time and Date website, as a guide for those who may be finding it hard to photograph the moon.

Taking Pictures of the Moon

The Moon is beautiful to the naked eye, but it can be tricky to capture with a camera.

Full Moon photos need planning.

Planning Your Moon Picture

Whether you have a smartphone or a more advanced camera, planning is the key to a successful shot.

  • Find the moonrise and moonset times. If you use a compass to angle your camera, make sure to take into account magnetic declination.
  • Moonrise and moonset are great times for spectacular Moon photos. The Moon is just above the horizon, so you can add mountains, buildings, or other surroundings to your picture. Around the Full Moon, the Moon usually rises and sets during the golden hour, when colors are particularly rich.
  • Check the weather! A cloudy sky may cover the Moon, though a few clouds add drama.
  • The Full Moon is very bright, especially if it is a Supermoon. Other Moon phases may be simpler to shoot.
  • Scout your location. Lakes, the ocean, windows, and buildings reflect light and add extra oomph to your picture.

Using a Smartphone or Compact Camera

Smartphones and small compact cameras have a wide lens and a small sensor, so the Moon might come out looking like a blurry dot of light in the sky. Most mobile cameras also don't have a very powerful zoom, which you need to capture the surface details of the Moon. However, there are ways you can play to the strengths of your cell phone:

  • Compose your image. Make use of the scenery around you by including trees, buildings, or reflections.
  • Turn off the flash. The flash will disturb the natural light.
  • Use ambient light. Capture different light sources. For example, during the blue hour, light from buildings give a warm glow complementing the moonlight.

DSLR Cameras

In order to make the Moon the focal point of the image and to capture the surface details, you'll need a DSLR or another camera with a zoom equivalent of 200 mm or above.

Zoom in to capture surface details.

  • Put your camera on a tripod or another stable surface like a fence or the ground. Use your timer, a shutter with a cord, or a remote to minimize camera movement.
  • Use a low ISO. Keep your ISO setting between 100 to 200 as the Full Moon is bright.
  • Manual exposure. Underexpose rather than overexpose the Moon. A medium aperture of f/5.6 to 11 works well.
  • Flash highlights. A flash can be used to light up your subject. Set the exposure for the Moon and sky.
  • High resolution. To capture as much information and detail as possible, set your camera to the highest resolution (jpeg) or take uncompressed images (tiff or raw).
  • Keep shooting! Play around with different apertures and shutter speeds, and you might just get that perfect shot.
  • Edit your images. You can also crop, add contrast, tweak colors, layer, and so much more, by processing your images using photo processing software.

 

I will try and prime when the next full moon, or any notable moons are, and what name it is known by. I would think also, if there are any photographic stellar activities, ie comets or planets that may be very clear, they could also be included.

The next full moon for the UK will be on Thursday 28th January at 19:16 approx.

Here's a couple from today's morning 'waning' moon from today, 2nd January 2021

  • That photo of the moon Jim looks 3D, very speherical.

  • A morning moon, the waning wolf moon of 2021....

  • The next full moon for the UK will be 27 February around 08:17am.

    The moon in the UK can be clearly visible from around 16:00 onward

     

    February: Snow Moon

    The February Full Moon is named after the snow on the ground. Some Native American tribes named this the Hunger Moon; others called it the Storm Moon.

    In ancient times, it was common to track the changing seasons by following the lunar month rather than the solar year, which the 12 months in our modern calendar are based on.

    For millennia, people across Europe, as well as Native American tribes, named the months after features they associated with the Northern Hemisphere seasons, and many of these names are very similar or identical.

    When are the Full Moons this year?

    Full Moon Names

    Today, we use many of these ancient month names as Full Moon names. A common explanation is that Colonial Americans adopted many of the Native American names and incorporated them into the modern calendar.

    However, it seems that it is a combination of Native American, Anglo-Saxon, and Germanic month names which gave birth to the names commonly used for the Full Moon today.

    The Snow Moon is the Full Moon in February, named after the snow on the ground. Some North American tribes named it the Hunger Moon due to the scarce food sources and hard hunting conditions during mid-winter, while others named it the Storm Moon. Some sources also call it Chaste Moon, although most attribute this name to March Full Moon.

    About once every 19 years, February does not have a Full Moon, known as a Black Moon. In 2018, this was the case in most time zones. Instead, January and March have two Full Moons each, creating a double Blue Moon.

    For those with new cameras, or have rediscovered photography, the following are a few tips on helping you to get a photo of the moon.

    Taking Pictures of the Moon

    The Moon is beautiful to the naked eye, but it can be tricky to capture with a camera.

    Full Moon photos need planning.

    Planning Your Moon Picture

    Whether you have a smartphone or a more advanced camera, planning is the key to a successful shot.

    • Find the moonrise and moonset times. If you use a compass to angle your camera, make sure to take into account magnetic declination.
    • Moonrise and moonset are great times for spectacular Moon photos. The Moon is just above the horizon, so you can add mountains, buildings, or other surroundings to your picture. Around the Full Moon, the Moon usually rises and sets during the golden hour, when colours are particularly rich.
    • Check the weather! A cloudy sky may cover the Moon, though a few clouds add drama.
    • The Full Moon is very bright, especially if it is a Supermoon. Other Moon phases may be simpler to shoot.
    • Scout your location. Lakes, the ocean, windows, and buildings reflect light and add extra oomph to your picture.

    Using a Smartphone or Compact Camera

    Smartphones and small compact cameras have a wide lens and a small sensor, so the Moon might come out looking like a blurry dot of light in the sky. Most mobile cameras also don't have a very powerful zoom, which you need to capture the surface details of the Moon. However, there are ways you can play to the strengths of your cell phone:

    • Compose your image. Make use of the scenery around you by including trees, buildings, or reflections.
    • Turn off the flash. The flash will disturb the natural light.
    • Use ambient light. Capture different light sources. For example, during the blue hour, light from buildings give a warm glow complementing the moonlight.

    DSLR Cameras

    In order to make the Moon the focal point of the image and to capture the surface details, you'll need a DSLR or another camera with a zoom equivalent of 200 mm or above.

    Zoom in to capture surface details.

    • Put your camera on a tripod or another stable surface like a fence or the ground. Use your timer, a shutter with a cord, or a remote to minimize camera movement.
    • Use a low ISO. Keep your ISO setting between 100 to 200 as the Full Moon is bright.
    • Shutter priority 1/500th second  often yields good results
    • Manual exposure. Underexpose rather than overexpose the Moon. A medium aperture of f/5.6 to 11 works well.
    • Flash highlights. A flash can be used to light up your subject. Set the exposure for the Moon and sky.
    • High resolution. To capture as much information and detail as possible, set your camera to the highest resolution (jpeg) or take uncompressed images (tiff or raw).
    • Keep shooting! Play around with different apertures and shutter speeds, and you might just get that perfect shot.
    • Edit your images. You can also crop, add contrast, tweak colours, layer, and so much more, by processing your images using photo processing software.

     

  • Nice to see you here, Bob. Hope all is well with you and yours. Clever photo cheats!
  • Not quite the snow moon, I wanted to capture one with a blue sky rather than black, which would have happened if I'd opted for the nearest time to the full moon, which would have been around 06:30 here.

  • Too many twigs in the way but had a lovely colour

    Taken last night at 9.30

  • Linda257 said:

    Too many twigs in the way but had a lovely colour

    I think the twigs enhance the images nicely.

  • We've missed the March full moon, also known as the Worm Moon

    https://www.timeanddate.com/

    March: Worm Moon
    28 Mar 2021, 19:48
    By Vigdis Hocken
    The Full Moon in March is the Worm Moon, and it is usually considered the last Full Moon of winter. It is also called Lenten Moon, Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Chaste Moon, Sugar Moon, and Sap Moon.
    Why Is It Called Worm Moon?
    The Worm Moon got its name from the earthworms that emerge at this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere.
    In most years, the Worm Moon is the last Full Moon before the March equinox, which can take place on March 19, 20, or 21. In some years, however, when the winter season comprises four Full Moons instead of the usual three, the last Full Moon before the equinox is a Blue Moon and the Worm Moon falls after the equinox.
    The next full moon is:
    April: Pink Moon

    UK: 27 Apr 2021, 04:31 approx

    By Vigdis Hocken

    April 2021's Pink Moon, named after phlox, the pink flowers that bloom in spring, is also a Super Moon. Other names for this Full Moon are Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Hare Moon, Egg Moon, and Paschal Moon.

    In ancient times, it was common to track the changing seasons by following the lunar month rather than the solar year, which the 12 months in our modern calendar are based on.

    For millennia, people across Europe, as well as Native American tribes, named the months after features they associated with the Northern Hemisphere seasons, and many of these names are very similar or identical.

    Pink Flowers

    The name Pink Moon comes from one of the first spring flowers, Wild Ground Phlox, also known as Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) as they cover the ground like a pink blanket. These brightly-colored flowers are native to North America, and they often bloom around the time of April's Full Moon.

    Other names for this Full Moon include Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Hare Moon, and the Anglo-Saxon name is Egg Moon. Hare Moon is also used for the May Full Moon. These names all refer to the birth of spring with grass sprouting, birds laying eggs, fish being more plentiful, hares breeding, and people planting seeds.

    Paschal Moon

    The first Full Moon in April is also known as the Paschal Moon in the ecclesiastical (Christian) calendar, because it is used to calculate the date for Easter; the first Sunday after the Paschal Moon is Easter Sunday. The ancient Hare Moon and Egg Moon names are often referenced a potential reasons for the emergence of the modern Easter Bunny laying Easter eggs.

  • I slipped up yesterday, should have added the following!

    The day started as it went on, virtually clear skies, and a morning moon, timed at 06:44 BST, 30 March 2012, in the western sky