Digital Photography Technology

The moon is the brightest object in the night sky and has been a source of wonder since the first humans gazed upwards. It was likely formed about 4.6 billion years ago as a result of a huge impact of the Earth and a Mars sized object. The Moon is heavily cratered from impacts resulting from its formation. Over the 29.5 day lunar cycle, the Moon passes through all of its phases: from new Moon  to waxing crescent  to first quarter to waxing gibbous to full moon to waning gibbous to last quarter to waning crescent back  to a new moon again.  During each cycle, the Moon keeps the same face toward the earth. Lunar eclipses are not rare events, they may happen several times in a year. During a total lunar eclipse the moon takes on a variety of colors, the most obvious a orange tinge. This is an enthralling event not to be missed.

The Gallery of Moon phases were taken with a Nikon Digital Camera D-200. The  lens used was a  Nikon 300mm, f4.5 with a 2x teleconverter. The ISO was 100 or 400, depending on the phase of the moon, and shutter speed of 1/25 to 1/100.

Moon days were determined by the astronomy program, Starry Night.