Had a bash at it tonight on the way home with my 70-300mm as it was low in the sky over the sea. Think the forecast is clear for tomorrow.....now whats the longest lens we have lying around at work?
As a rule of thumb you will get 1mm of moon at your sensor for every 100mm of focal length on your lens - and sorry that is every real 100mm not the extra you get with the crop factor. If you want to fill the viewfinder then start looking for a 1500mm lens.
That said get any binoculars or spotting scope and bung your phone or compact up against the eyepiece and you may be surprised at the results.
Last edited by Black Pearl; 18th March 2011 at 11:13 PM.
I read a couple of places this week that this moon will be the closest it has been at full in 833 years. NASA just said it is the closest it has been since 1983. NASA also says a full moon at perigee happens every 18 years. hmmmmm
I don't care. I'm going to be out in the cold, watching it any way.
Keep in mind that you don't have to actually take the photograph on the 19th. On the 18th, the Moon will rise before the Sun sets and will be 99% full. On the 20th, the Moon will rise after the Sun has set while it's still getting dark and the Moon will still be 97% full.
For me here in Texas, my work will prevent me from capturing the Moon rise on the 19th. Today, the 18th, The Moon will rise from the direct East, but the Sun will still be 50 minutes from setting making the actual Moon rise at the horizon hard to distinguish. ( Yes, I have an unobstructed view to the East horizon. ) The best day for me will be Sunday the 20th but that means the azimuth where the Moon rises shifts South to 104° 36' 2", behind a hill. I still plan on having my Orion 1250mm f/13.9 ( 90mm Ø ) Maksutov Cassegrain with Sigma SD14 ready.
Reviewing my options, I may be better off going for the Moon set tomorrow morning at 7:13 AM Local time when the Moon will be at an azimuth of 266° 18' 5" and I'll still have 26 minutes before Sun Rise with the Moon still being 99.7% full. I'll just have to drive a couple miles from my home to get a clear view of the Western horizon.
Last edited by Steaphany; 19th March 2011 at 12:21 AM.
Reason: Added more
Kindly Ignore the date I have put there. My beer was interfering with my body clock. I have replaced the image on flickr now. Lets see when it gets updated.
Cheers!