Lunar Photography
The moon is a great place to start in astrophotography. It is easy to find, visible at all times of the year, and even on cloudy nights you will usually be able to wait for windows in the clouds that will give you at least a little time for a good chance at a shot or two. It gives you an opportunity to practice with your gear on a target that doesn't need long exposures and is relatively easy to focus.
The moon is also something that you can get good shots of without a telescope. A zoom lens of at least 400mm will be necessary though to show any detail. The best time to photograph the moon is in its' crescent or partially full phases. A full moon has the sun striking at it directly, and makes details such as craters harder to focus because of a lack of shadows. But even without a telephoto or zoom lens, the moon frequently can be seen in close
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Moon and Venus 300mm |
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Moon and Venus |
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Moon and Venus |
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Green Bank W.Va. |
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These were taken with the same 75-300mm zoom. The one on the right was closer to 300mm.
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Moon-Venus 300mm |
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Moon-Venus Zoomed |
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Eclipses are rare occurances and if you are not clouded out during one, you'll want to get out and try some shots. I haven't been lucky enough yet to get a solar eclipse, but I did manage to get some images of a lunar eclipse a couple years ago.
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Lunar Eclipse |
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Lunar Eclipse |
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proximity to planets or constellations which make very nice compositions. The first shot below was taken with a 75-300mm zoom lens. The other three were taken using a 18-55mm lens. The last one shows the Green Bank Radio Telescope in the foreground with the red lights on it.
