The moon which some of you may have seen on Tuesday night is called “Strawberry Moon” by Native Americans because June is when they would first start harvesting wild strawberries, this year it is also a “supermoon”.
The reason it falls into the “super” category isbecause it’s a wee bit bigger and brighter than your average moon. The moon travels around the Earth in an elliptical orbit meaning that it gets closer and further away on its travels. At its closest point to Earth (technical name: perigee) it’s still a whopping 222,000 miles away, as opposed to 252,000 miles away when it is at its furthest away (apogee).
This full moon in June 2022 coincides with it being closer to Earth and so will be up to 14% bigger, and 30 % brighter than if it was at its furthest away. Coupled with the low trajectory of the moon that we get in the Summer months we also see much more colouration of the moon, as its reflective light is being viewed by us through much more of the Earth’s atmosphere. Hence the funky strong colours you will often see, which can look surreal when photographed.
I used a monster 200-500mm lens to capture these shots and positioned myself about 10 miles away over in Fife. At 500mm and with the image cropped down even further, the moon looks crazily big and I’m often asked if this kind of photo is real. Yes, yes they are all real, single images and are simply a result of perspective, fantastic technology in our modern cameras, careful planning, and a strong dose of luck to get favourable cloud cover.
Tips for taking your own shots:
- Plan using an app like The Photographer’s Ephemeris, and visit your intended location in advance to work out where to stand and how to walk to it safely, possibly in the dark.
- Use a telephoto lens 200mm or longerUse a tripod for stability, and a remote trigger or your camera’s self-timer release
- Get something with an identifiable silhouette in front of the moon – something that is also lit with artificial light is even better.
- Distance from your subject decreases its size relative to the moon – at 10 miles the moon is about the same width as Edinburgh Castle, which unfortunately had its lights off on Tuesday night.
Image 6117 below – Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town share a horizon with obvious landmarks like Edinburgh Castle on the far right, Salisbury Crags far left, with Scott Monument, Old College dome The Balmoral, St Giles, The Hub and Camera Obscura
Image 6103 below – the moon’s reflected light is travelling through the Earth’s atmosphere and so appears more deeply coloured than when higher in the sky.
Image 6070 below – some people say this is the best view they’ve seen of the new St James centre and hotel.
Image 6051 below – A volcano or two and a rock floating through space
