Why our moon photos often look terrible – kudupinter World News Network

Left: Full moon with clear lines and craters, surrounded by some clouds and the silhouette of a bush; Right: The moon as a bright blur against a clear, hazy sky — Image caption, The main problem when photographing the Moon at night is overexposure, according to Michael Brown, associate professor of astronomy at Monash University in Australia.

- author, Ellen Tsang
- scroll, BBC World Service
12 minutes ago

If you’re lucky and enjoy clear skies later this week, you may see a large, bright supermoon in all its dazzling detail in the night sky.

The phenomenon is visible to the eye. But when you try to photograph it with a smartphone, the image is likely to appear blurry.

This does not necessarily mean that your photography skills are weak. There are explanations for the difficulty of photographing the moon with mobile phones.

However, some tips can significantly improve results.

Unclear effect on the moon

The main problem when photographing the moon at night is overexposure.

“We often see the moon as small against a very dark background, so the cell phone is trying to take a picture at night,” says Michael Brown, associate professor of astronomy at Monash University in Australia.

But we photograph the side illuminated by the sun, meaning it is daytime at that point on the moon. Then the bright, overexposed blur appears. A simple alternative is to record the moon before dark.

Left: The moon as a bright dot in the night sky; Right: A partial moon in daylight that appears small compared to the jungle in the foreground — Image caption, If left on automatic settings, the cell phone tends to overexpose the moon at night; Taking the photo during the day helps, but the moon may appear small

However, the full moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, and rarely appears before sunset. To photograph the supermoon, it is best to try to capture it just after twilight.

According to NASA’s Lunar Photography Guide, twilight is the ideal time because a cell phone doesn’t have to deal with as much contrast between the moon and the sky. Objects in the foreground are also visible.

However, if you want to photograph the moon at night, you can reduce the exposure in different ways.

The drawing shows what a supermoon is, which occurs when the moon is closest to Earth and can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than the dimmest moon of the year. — Image caption, The supermoon may be brighter than usual, making it even more important to avoid overexposure

Brown explains that there are night photography apps you can download that will take a photo of the moon with the correct exposure.

It is also possible to do this manually, preventing the automatic exposure of the cell phone and setting it to a low level.

On mobile phones with Pro mode cameras, it is possible to change two exposure components: ISO (sensitivity of the sensor to light) and shutter speed (shutter open time).

“Do some testing to find out what works best for your equipment,” advises Monash Brown.

Why does the moon appear so small in the picture?

Although the Moon appears large to the naked eye, it can appear small in a photo.

This may be caused by the so-called “lunar illusion,” which tricks the eyes into making the moon near the horizon appear larger than it actually is. No one knows exactly why, but it may be related to the distance at which the brain expects the object to be in the horizon. Or maybe the trees and buildings make the moon seem huge by comparison.

A large, reddish full moon rises above the horizontal buildings of Malta, with the cathedral tower and basilica dome next to it. — Image caption, Photographers can simulate the lunar illusion by placing the Moon near an equally distant foreground object and then zooming in on both, making the Moon appear much larger than it actually is.

Brown cautions against the design of cell phone cameras, which are good for shooting wide landscapes or close-up selfies, but not for small, distant objects.

If you think the sky from east to west is 180 degrees, the Moon occupies only 0.5 degrees.

“Some (cell phone cameras) have modes that allow you to capture close to 90 degrees in one image. The Moon ends up being just a few percent of the image… it can only be up to 50 pixels wide,” the astronomer explains.

Be careful when using zoom

So the solution is to zoom in, right? Not always.

Most cell phone cameras use digital zoom, which only crops the image and makes it blurrier. This doesn’t help much.

But some advanced cell phone models have optical zoom, a tool that increases the focal length of the lens — as in a compact camera or DSLR (with interchangeable lenses) — and reveals more detail. This is the ideal type of zoom, if available.

If you don’t have one, you can use zoom lenses that can be attached to your cell phone or place your phone over the telescope, holding it close to the eyepiece. Even a small, inexpensive telescope can produce images of the Moon with hundreds of pixels, showing craters and other details, Brown explains.

Left: An image of the Moon showing some surface features, taken with a smartphone connected to a 60 mm telescope; Right: An image of the Moon with more complex details, taken with a smartphone attached to a 25 cm telescope — Image caption, A beginner’s 60mm telescope can already reveal craters on the Moon (left), while a larger 25cm telescope will reveal more details (right).

Zooming amplifies any camera shake, so it is recommended to use a tripod or place the cell phone on a stable surface.

To avoid movement when you press the shutter, use the self-timer, live view mode, or the volume button on wired headphones as a remote control.

Be creative

If you don’t have an optical zoom and have to make do with a small moon, you can still make the photo more interesting.

“You can create a juxtaposition with something interesting (in the foreground),” Brown suggests.

In fact, Bill Ingalls, NASA’s chief photographer, cautions against photographing only the moon. “Everyone will take this photo,” he said in an article on NASA’s website. “Think about how you can make the photo creative…any element that gives your photo a sense of place.”

A bright, round moon appears in a dark sky behind the Peace Monument at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. — Image caption, Regardless of the camera used, experts recommend taking a creative photo, framing the moon next to an interesting object in the foreground.

But let’s face it, not everyone will achieve professional results. Brown points out that some cell phones use artificial intelligence to enhance images of the moon, creating unrealistic expectations about what can be achieved with a small lens.

If you want to maintain authenticity but don’t have advanced equipment, you may want to explore the strengths of your cell phone.

“The ability to detect low-light objects is very good,” says Monash-Brown. “Think of other things you can photograph where a cell phone’s wide field of view can take a great photo.”

The astronomer points out that the Milky Way, the aurora borealis and bright comets are examples of good targets.