Rugby Ball Moon?

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David Berry

David Berry

🇦🇺 Australia 🦘
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Waxing Gibbous Moon : 2024-06-17
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

  • 1000 mm : handheld
  • ƒ/14 : manual
  • 1/800 s : manual
  • 1000 ISO : auto
  • -3.3 EC : auto-bracketing; lowest chosen
  • 2024-06-17 // 17:21 AEST (UTC +10)
It's been ages since I last posted a photo on the forum — hasn't stopped me posting opinions, though! — so I wandered into the garden and shot the ascending moon. It was 5:21 pm and, as you can see, pitch dark: just a few more sleeps until the shortest day of the year!

According to various apps and websites, the moon is not 'rugby-ballish' but 'waxing gibbous'. Live and learn.

A question: is the moon the right way up? The horizon level in my viewfinder claimed so, but I suspect that other members (Sir Winston excepted) who shoot the moon this evening will have the shadowy side on the left of their photos. Something to do with being 30—50ºN, rather than 20—40ºS?

Please add your photos; it'll be interesting to compare. (The moon should also be a trifle tubbier.)
 
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Nicely done, sir. Love that detail at the pole especially. I was confused with the taken at 5:21 p.m. detail... until I remembered you're in Oz and heading into winter :)
 
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Nice photo! As to your question about the moon being the right way up, I find it helpful to think about where the sun would have to be to illuminate the moon that way. In your photo, that would put the sun high in the sky, to the upper left.

Since it was 5:21 pm, with the sun well below the horizon, the moon should be angled the opposite way. Here is a screenshot from the Sky Safari app, set to 5:36 pm local time, in Brisbane. I don't know exactly where you are in Australia, but this would be your approximate view in that time zone. You can see the moon is "in" Virgo, with the lit side facing down toward the western horizon.

Moon in Australia.png
 
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jscorbin said:
Nice photo! As to your question about the moon being the right way up, I find it helpful to think about where the sun would have to be to illuminate the moon that way. In your photo, that would put the sun high in the sky, to the upper left.

Here is a screenshot from the Sky Safari app, set to 5:36 pm local time, in Brisbane. I don't know exactly where you are in Australia.
Click to expand...

Thanks, JC (also Steve and NF).

27°33'30.8679" S 152°42'18.2868" E (adjusted slightly)

Brisbane is certainly 'close enough'; Amberley Air Force Base (RAAF) is even closer.

I really am out of my depth – surely not the right word – in all things relating to astronomy, and will check again tonight on the moon's orientation. Somewhere on my iPhone there should be an app to help.

… David
 
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Not quite one day later …

Waxing Gibbous Moon : 2024-06-18
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

  • 1000 mm : handheld
  • ƒ/14 : manual
  • 1/2000 s : manual
  • 8000 ISO : auto (spot metering)
  • -1 EC : manual
  • 2024-06-18 // 17:00 AEST (UTC +10
    One minute before sunset.
 
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Not David, but I found that, especially handheld, using a smaller aperture gives overall sharper images at infinity. The greater DoF compensates for those small movements that are amplified at those focal length (longest I shot handheld was 600mm on DX, so 900mm effective).

Nice shots David, lucky you for having not atmospheric effects!
 
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