Yesterday's Blood Moon: Capturing the Celestial Spectacle
This past weekend, the night sky offered a breathtaking view with a Blood Moon, and despite some pesky clouds, I managed to capture some memorable shots. While the atmospheric conditions weren't perfect, I was able to salvage and process the image to bring out the rich details of this celestial event.
The Challenge of Clouds
Clouds can be the bane of any astrophotographer's existence, obscuring the view of our cosmic neighbors. For this Blood Moon, the clouds certainly added an extra layer of challenge, diffusing the moonlight and softening the details. However, with careful processing, it's often possible to recover a surprising amount of detail from images taken under less-than-ideal skies.
Capturing the Moon
Here are the details of how this shot was taken:
Equipment:
- Camera: Olympus E-M10 Mark IV
- Lens: 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO + 1.4x Teleconverter
Settings:
- Aperture: f/4 (wide open)
- Shutter Speed: 1/4 second
- ISO: 3200
Image:
Behind the Processing
Recovering detail from images with clouds often involves techniques like noise reduction, sharpening, and contrast adjustments. The goal is to enhance the inherent details of the moon without introducing excessive artifacts or making the image look unnatural. It's a delicate balance that requires patience and experimentation.
Even with a few clouds, the Blood Moon remains a stunning sight. I hope you enjoy this capture!
