Requesting advice.

[Jnicholes]

Almost a full moon here. Trying to find a way to do astrophotography with the moon out. It’s becoming a hassle to do exposures with the full moon.

I found this product, and I would like to know if it will help my astrophotography while the moon is out.



What do you think? Will it help me?

Jared

[MistrBadgr]

Hi Jared!
I hope others pitch in with their opinions, because there will probably be a broad spectrum of experiences. In general, extra light from the Moon is hard to deal with, since it is fairly broad spectrum.

Most light pollution, other than mercury vapor lamps, tends to be reddish or at least limited to a particular color range of a warmer nature. I am assuming that the filter you are considering will be more bluish by its nature or happen to block out the right frequencies somewhat. That filter may help you to a certain extent, since other light pollution besides the moon normally gets in your way anyway, and blocking some of that out will be a help whether the Moon is out or not. I have not found any of them that help as much as I expect them to, but some do help.

What I have found that helps the most is decreasing the amount of light reflecting from internal non-optical surfaces in my scopes, and building a light shroud onto the end of my scope to help block out oblique light coming from places other than from the area I am trying to view. For a refractor, blackening the ground glass circumference of the objective elements with a black Sharpie does about as much good as anything for improving a moonlit situation.

Hope this helps!

[sdbodin]

NO

Short answer, moon is the ultimate light polluter,
Steve

[Ylem]

There's not much one can do about the Moon, other than make peace with it and enjoy it for what it is.
It does offer some amazing details after all.

[Jnicholes]

Thanks all for the advice. I will wait for the new moon for my astronomy project, then.

I need VERY dark skies for this project, anyway.

[WilliamPaolini]

I am not an imager, but I thought that under very light polluted conditions that B&W imaging of nebula with a hydrogen-alpha filter (and others like the Radian Triad Ultra filter and the Optolong L-eXtreme filter) could still be done since its bandwidth is so narrow.

[Jnicholes]

Funny, I JUST watched that video!

[pakarinen]

I can't see your AMZ pic, but here's an option. It's Canon specific, but they probably make filters for other brands / formats like CMOS astrocams.

https://www.landseaskyco.com/altair-eos ... aps-c.html

[KingNothing13]

Embrace the moon! It is a wonderful object as well. The craters, the mare, the detail - it's all there.

Of course, it is blinding a times, and visual filters will help.

[yobbo89]

not even a 3nm filter can save you from a full moon . ,when it's moon out ,it's moon time

when you have guest over, you must accommodate..

[Jnicholes]

Do you know what? You guys are right. I should enjoy the moon while it’s out. My project can wait.

Tomorrow is the full moon, so I’ll get my moon filter on my eyepiece, and take some lunar photography tomorrow night.

[Bigzmey]

If you really want to shoot some DSOs with Moon out you can use narrowband filters (OIII, H-beta, etc) and try for diffuse or planetary nebulae. I saw guys in my club doing that, so I assume it works.

[Baurice]

Another vote for the Moon.

t is not at its best yet but Venus is in the evening sky and Jupiter and Saturn will also be in a few weeks. They can all be "snapped" when the Moon is out.