A 'Sturgeon' supermoon will light up our skies on Thursday, and photographers say it's a great time to get out the camera kit (or smart phone) and angle it up to the sky.
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The 'Sturgeon' supermoon - as it's referred to in the US Farmer's Almanac - will appear about 37 per cent brighter than a 'mini moon', experts say, and while our eyes aren't keen enough to pick the difference, it can show up brilliantly behind the lens of a camera.
What is a 'supermoon'?
University of Southern Queensland astrophysics Professor Jonti Horner said the term 'supermoon' is quite new, coined by an astrologer, not an astronomer.
"It's a recently coined phrase, a shorthand for saying the moon is full, but at a time when the moon is closer to us than average," Professor Horner said.
How do I photograph it?
We asked ACM photographer Adam McLean for his top tips on supermoon photography. Here's what he said:
- Take a photo when the moon is closest to the horizon. This is when the moon looks the largest, in a phenomenon called 'the moon illusion'.
- Capture something in the foreground. This will give it scale or perspective. It could be a mountain, a tree, a building, or a person.
- A long telephoto lens does wonders. Using a 400ml lens or larger can help you amplify the perspective.
- An app can help. There are apps that can predict where the moon will be in the sky. These can help when you want compose a photo in advance.
- Your phone probably won't do it justice. While a DSLR camera will do a better job, phones will triple camera lenses can still take a great photo. There are also lens accessories that you can now buy for phone cameras that may help you take a better picture.
For those interested in a longer-term project, Professor Horner said taking a photo of the supermoon and comparing it to the 'minimoon' in December can be an interesting experiment to compare the size.
"Photograph them at the same exposure, with the same lens, set up and height above the horizon," he said.
For an easy full moon picture, hold your phone up to the lens of a telescope or binoculars, he said.
What will it look like?
To the untrained and unaided eye, the supermoon doesn't look too different to a regular full moon, Monash University Associate Professor Michael Brown said.
Professor Brown said viewers can still take the event as a chance to marvel at the moon's beauty.
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"It's a good opportunity to look up and appreciate the full moon for what it is," Professor Brown said.
"You can see the dark patches, which are basalt plains, you can imagine it like another world - it has its own mountains and valleys," he said.
The August moon on Thursday has also been referred to as the 'Sturgeon supermoon', Professor Horner said. That was an American term that comes from the United States Farmer's Almanac and has only recently been used in Australia. The terms are hyperlocal to the United States and reportedly based on various Native American cultures, he said.
Rosie Bensley
Illawarra Mercury trainee journalist and newest recruit.
Illawarra Mercury trainee journalist and newest recruit.
