Current:Home > FinanceHow to take a photo of August's 'blue supermoon' -LondonCapital
How to take a photo of August's 'blue supermoon'
View
Date:2025-04-16 18:26:53
Professional photographers and would-be photographers will have the opportunity to take a picture of the first blue supermoon of the year on Wednesday night, which is also the last one until 2037.
Before people whip out their cellphones, or better yet, their fancy DSLRs, to take a picture of this rare blue supermoon, they should know exactly what they're trying to capture.
The moon will be what NASA calls a "trifecta of labels," as it will be a full moon, a supermoon and a blue moon.
MORE: Idalia live updates: Forecast shows hurricane will be 'extremely dangerous'
A blue moon refers to the second time a full moon appears during the same month, according to NASA. A supermoon is when it is at the closest point in its orbit around the Earth.
The best camera to use
While people will be tempted to pull out their iPhones or Android devices to take pictures of the blue supermoon, the best camera to photograph Earth's neighboring celestial body is a mirrorless camera, or a DSLR, according to ABC News' Deputy Photo Director Gary Hershorn.
"The easiest way to photograph the moon is not with a telephone [camera] but with a real camera, where you can control the exposure of your camera a lot easier than you can with your mobile phone," Hershorn said. "The difference between a camera and a mobile phone is that the mobile phone doesn't let you zoom that much. So, however you photograph it, it's going to be very small."
The moon will begin to rise in the sky 15 minutes after sunset on Wednesday, at approximately 7:31 p.m. ET and will be in the night's sky by 7:46 p.m. ET.
Trying to capture a clear photo of the moon against the dark sky is particularly difficult since cameras tend to photograph it as a white dot, Hershorn said.
A camera with a telephoto lens between 200 millimeters and 600 millimeters would be a person's best bet to capture a photo of the blue supermoon.
You can still use a smartphone
Despite DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and even point-and-shoot cameras being better devices to take a picture of the blue supermoon than the camera on your smartphone, people can still use their smartphones to capture a good shot – as long as they are willing to tinker with the camera settings, according to Hershorn.
"All the mobile phones have an exposure compensation setting," he said. "It's really important that people use that exposure compensation slider to try to get the moon in a way that isn't way overexposed."
Going the distance
Most people trying to photograph the moon tend to aim the cameras on their phones at the sky and take a picture. However, being a few miles away from a particular location and finding an object to shoot the moon alongside is the best way to get a great picture, according to Hershorn.
"It's really important for people to place the moon in a way it identifies where you are," Hershorn said.
Hershorn also suggests deciding if you want to take a wide-angle photograph that would show a city's skyline or something else because it gives scale to the size of the moon.
For example, someone living in New York City planning to take a photo of the blue supermoon should consider photographing it alongside a landmark like the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building or One World Trade Center.
If a person isn't around any landmarks, they can use trees, cactuses or even a lighthouse if it's something that makes it clear where they are, Hershorn said.
Lights! Camera! Action!
When taking a photo of the blue supermoon you should know the right time to snap your lens, which is when the moon is as low to the horizon as possible, according to Hershorn.
The closer the moon is to the horizon, the darker it'll be, Hershorn said, adding that the moon gets brighter as it rises.
MORE: Look up! August's 'blue supermoon' won't be seen again until 2037
"Every minute that it rises above the horizon, it gets brighter to a camera, and you're more than likely at that point to have a picture of a white circle rather than an orange ball," Hershorn said, adding that it's like a photo of the sun, which looks orange the closer it is to the horizon.
Hershorn said that despite being able to observe the moon with your eyes, it is an extremely bright object in the night sky and that it's easier to take a picture of it when it's low in the sky because it's darker.
"Cameras prefer the moon when it is darker than when it's lighter," Hershorn said.
ABC News' Yi-Jin Yu contributed to this report.
veryGood! (541)
Related
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- In closing, prosecutor says Sen. Bob Menendez’s behavior in response to bribes was ‘wildly abnormal’
- Limited-Edition Mopar 2024 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon makes its grand debut
- Mishandled bodies, mixed-up remains prompt tougher funeral home regulations
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Minnesota trooper charged in crash that killed an 18-year-old
- Stoltenberg says Orbán's visit to Moscow does not change NATO's position on Ukraine
- Channing Tatum Reveals the Moment He Realized He Needed Fiancée Zoë Kravitz
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- With Tiger Woods’ approval, Keegan Bradley locks in Ryder Cup captaincy — perhaps even as a player
Ranking
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Extreme heat grounds rescue helicopters. When is it too hot to fly?
- Everything Marvel has in the works, from 'Agatha All Along' to 'Deadpool & Wolverine'
- Advocates launch desperate effort to save Oklahoma man from execution in 1992 murder
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- The inspiring truth behind the movie 'Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot'
- French airport worker unions call for strike right before Paris Olympics
- He was rejected and homeless at 15. Now he leads the LGBTQ group that gave him acceptance.
Recommendation
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, See Double
Walker Zimmerman to headline US men’s soccer team roster at Paris Olympics
French airport worker unions call for strike right before Paris Olympics
Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
Joan Benedict Steiger, 'General Hospital' and 'Candid Camera' actress, dies at 96: Reports
Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds talks 'harm' of Mormonism, relationship with family
Beyoncé Cécred scholarship winner says she 'was shocked' to receive grant