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Photographing the Moon by Chris Madeley - Photographer
To take images of the moon through a telescope can be simple and rewarding.
The following points will help you.
Setting up the Telescope for Photography
1. The telescope needs to be mounted on a sturdy tripod on a level surface.
Ideally the Optical tube assembly should be mounted on a driven equatorial mount
so as to compensate for the motion of the earth and the moon.
To accurately track the moon, so it is kept centred in the field of view, the telescope and
mount should be Polar aligned. Most telescope manuals or dedicated astronomy books will
have a section on basic Polar alignment to show you how to achieve this. The computer
driven type telescopes now available make life easy by taking you through a Œstep by step¹
method of Polar alignment procedures.
2. You will need a digital camera or 35mm film camera, this will have to be secured to the
telescope by a camera adaptor, most good telescope manufacturers have accessories
available to help you do this, look in the accessories section on this website for a suitable
adaptor for your camera. Finally a cable release attached to your camera is useful as this
will keep the vibration down and help you to take sharper images. (If this is not possible try
using the timer facility on your camera to take the exposure for you).
3. You can use 100 ASA film as a starting point, if using a 35mm camera, the Moon is a bright object and exposures can be kept short; This setting can also be the same for digital
cameras. However, you can always use faster film ratings up to 400 ASA for example if
you are photographing a Lunar eclipse. It is best to take a series of exposures to guarantee a good exposed image.
Imaging the Moon
1. Start by centring the Moon in the telescope, this is best done by using a finder scope on
the telescope until the Moon is central in the field of view. Look through the camera
and check the Moons position.
2. Focus is best achieved by trial and error by racking the focusser on the telescope
backwards and forwards until the moon is in focus. (It is easier to focus on the edge of the moon¹s disc to get the best focus results). Also it pays to keep checking focus to make sure
that the equipment has not been knocked or moved out of focus.
3. Exposure times will vary from each phase of the Moon. It is better to bracket exposures
1/8th - 1/60th second for a thin crescent Moon
1/15th - 1/125th second for first quarter t Moon
1/30th - 1/250th second for a gibbous Moon
1/30th - 1/250th second for a full Moon
Please note:
Exposure times will vary and it is always better to take as many exposures as possible
and choose the best exposed frame. When photographing, always keep a record of the
exposures taken so you can remember which are the best exposure times for future use.
Techniques for photographing the Moon using different cameras on telescopes will vary, always refer to your camera or telescope manual for further advice.
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