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| Waxing Moon 2 May |
The clear weather is allowing for some great moon shots lately and the most recent one I managed to capture with my Maksutov 500 lens prompted me to get a better idea of what features I was able to make out on the surface. As the light is only partially illuminating the surface at this time of the month, a lot of the craters and mare are thrown into sharp relief. Using my photo as a base, I checked a map for the names of the various major features and made up my own quick guide to what's on show.
I much prefer the vintage maps and models of the moon to the likes of Google Moon or the sterile, more scientific releases available today. The original ones still hold that air of mystery which surrounded the moon, before the first probes and cameras were able to reveal its secrets! The large pvc Moon Globe above is slightly out of scale with the actual features, but does show the positions of all the major landings and probes. The great rayed crater Tycho, made famous by Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, looks a little like a fried egg!
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| MTO Catadioptric Lens |
My two favoured lenses for astrophotography, the Maksutov Mirror lens and Praotor Sniper lens, both of which dwarf my little camera!
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| Praotor 500 mm Telephoto |
Brilliant stuff. My map of choice as a kid was the moon map on the Countdown poster!
ReplyDeleteOh yes. i had that wallperpasted to my wall! Couldnt get the bugger off when i moved, thanks for that Dad!
ReplyDeleteGreat photographs. It was especially interesting to see the lenses used to take them, well out of my league. Most of my photography involves models, shot at much closer ranges.
ReplyDeleteI only buy second hand Kit Paul, the long one was £3 and the big russian was a special buy, but still only £75. A present to myself!
DeleteReally like how you've highlighted major moon features in relation to your excellent lunar photography, Bill. Some superb images! I also had the Countdown poster which Kevin mentioned, although mine has sadly long since gone :)
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