Lunar Astrophotography

The Moon - an easy target

Scientists estimate that the Moon was formed around 4.5 billion years ago, close to the start of the formation of the Solar System. Over time, it has developed a number of interesting features for astronomers to look out for.

The Moon is the brightest object in our night sky, which makes it the perfect target for astronomers of all abilities! It is also constantly changing due to its phases, meaning no two days of observation are the same.

Some features of the Moon can be seen without any equipment, however, if you want to photograph it you will need some equipment! Some digital and DSLR cameras have a zoom lenses that will allow you to capture the Moon without the need of a telescope. If using these, a tripod is a good idea to keep it steady while capturing any detail.

A telescope or binoculars can also be used to capture the Moon. Due to its size and brightness, the Moon is easy to capture with a beginner telescope! For my observations I use a 76mm reflector telescope, which usually retail for around £100.

To capture my images, I use my smartphone camera, and simply point this through the eyepiece lens using a phone mount. This is the set up used to capture all of the images in this blog post!   

Lunar maria

The lunar maria are the dark patches that can be seen on the Moon. Early astronomers initially thought these were oceans just like we have on Earth, but we now know that these are actually impact basins that have filled with lava from the Moon's volcanic past, and other lunar material. From studying these we know that a series of volcanic activity filled in the giant impact basins and surrounding low-lying areas with magma.

Some of the easiest lunar maria to spot are Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Serenity) and Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquillity). The lunar maria are easiest to observe during a full moon.

The Sea of Serenity was the landing spot for Apollo 11, the first mission that saw humans walk on the Moon in 1969. It was chosen as the landing spot as it appeared to be the smoothest region of the Moon, making landing easier.  

The best time to observe the lunar maria is during a full moon!

Lunar events

The Moon has many different special events that amateur astronomers can capture.

One event to see is a ‘supermoon’. This occurs due to the Moon's imperfect orbit around the Earth. The Moon orbits around the Earth in an elliptical shape, with the closest approach to Earth being known as the perigee. When the full moon aligns with the perigee this is known as a supermoon! A supermoon appears bigger and brighter in the sky than on a normal full moon. These happen three to four times a year and always appear consecutively.

Another lunar event to see are eclipses! Eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon and Earth are all aligned. There are two types of eclipse depending on the Moon's position:

• Lunar eclipses occur at a full moon when the Earth is positioned precisely in the middle of the Sun and the Moon. On a total lunar eclipse the Moon will appear red in the sky as Earth’s shadow moves over it. You can also get partial lunar eclipses where Earth’s shadow covers part of the Moon. It won’t appear red in a partial eclipse, but instead the Moon appears as a crescent shape in the sky, like something has taken a bite out of the Moon!
• Solar eclipses occur during a new moon phase, when the Moon moves between Earth and the Sun. They happen as often as lunar eclipses, but are only visible for a small area of Earth so it is much rarer to encounter one. During a solar eclipse the Moon will block out all (or part) of the light from the Sun, causing a moment of darkness in the middle of the day!

In the UK our next visible total lunar eclipse will occur in September 2025, with a partial lunar eclipse observable even sooner in March 2025. We are also expecting a partial solar eclipse in March 2025, and another (with over 90% coverage) in August 2026! Unfortunately, it will be a long while before we get our next total solar eclipse from the UK which is scheduled for September 2090.