August 5, 2009
Tourist Moon
image by Anthony Ayiomamitis, Athens, Greece (37.9889°N, 23.7306°E)
Here is one of the 156 images taken over a few minutes involving the 98.5% phase moon rising over Lycabettus Hill ("Hill of the Wolves") in central Athens. The image was taken from a distance of 1380 meters away and across the National Archaeological Museum of Athens so as to have a balanced apparent diameter for the rising moon and the Church of St George which sits atop Mt Lycabettus. This effort was VERY tricky because the moon must be imaged when it is 8 degrees above the horizon owing to the 280 meter height of Lycabettus Hill. As a result, all of my previous work involving the proper timing of the rising full moon against well-known Greek landmarks goes out the window, namely with the sun being between 4 and 6 degrees below the horizon. For this effort, it was necessary to shoot when the sun was very close to the horizon and, in fact, just below it so as to have the necessary balance between the brighter than usual full moon owing to its eight-degree altitude and the foreground. The area atop Lycabettus Hill is a very popular tourist attraction and where the modus operandi is to view the setting sun (yes, they were looking at my direction since the setting sun was towards me and behind me). Since this image was taken one to two minutes after the sun had set, some of the tourists visible in the image have turned their attention to the rising moon in the opposite direction.
Anthony Ayiomamitis
Technical Details
Aug 04, 2009 @ 20:38:10 UT+3. Takahashi FSQ 106/f5, AP 2x Conv Barlow, Canon EOS 5D Mark I, Baader UV/IR-Cut Filter. 1 x 1/10 sec, ISO 100, RAW Image Format, 4368x2912 image size, Manual Mode, Servo Mode
Related Links
Anthony's astro website
