This Saturday evening, October 16, 2021, is the International Observe the Moon Night! It’s the perfect time to observe the Moon together with astronomers from around the world!
As such, we have a few tips and tricks that can help you enjoy the Moon observation!
Locating the Moon
Our Moon is very easy to spot. It is very bright and it’s impossible to miss it in the night sky, especially when it’s near the Full Moon phase.
Nevertheless, if you are wondering where it is ideal to set up your equipment, Stellarium Mobile can assist you with locating the Moon, prior to your observation nights!
Use aperture reducers if the Moon is too bright
There is no doubt that the Moon is beautiful. But if it is too bright, it can cause too much strain in the eyes. This often happens when the Moon is in Full Moon phase and you are observing using a telescope.
A great tip to reduce this effect is to use an aperture reducer. This would help lessen the strain the bright Moon puts in our eyes. A lot of telescopes in the market today, have an included aperture reducer that can be used for this purpose.
Identify the Mares and Oceans of the Moon
A great activity to do is identifying the features of the Moon as you are observing them! This would be a great bonding activity with your family and friends.
And you don’t have to look any further as Labels of the Moon’s features are included in the 3D view of the Moon in Stellarium Plus!
Available on Google Play and the iOS App Store
Imaging the Moon
As it is a worldwide event, prepare to see lots of images of the Moon in our timelines and feed. We assume you won’t want to be left out and would want to image the Moon!
The Moon is a bright object, so the ideal settings for capturing the Moon (if you have a telescope), is usually the lowest ISO setting, shutter speed, etc. Otherwise, it will be over exposed, resulting in unflattering images of the natural satellite.
Feel free to experiment and try different settings until you get the perfect shot that you were hoping for!
Share with us the images you captured, or experiences on your observation nights:
Tweet to @StellariumLabs
We hope you have clear skies and Happy International Observe the Moon Night!
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