Step by step

STEP 1

Image scale is important for this project. If you go too small, any size variation will be hard to see. A focal length around 1,000mm and a DSLR or equivalent should allow you to capture the entire lunar disc at sufficient scale to show the variation. Typically this can be achieved by connecting your camera to a telescope.

STEP 2

A high-frame-rate setup at higher image scale for mosaic capture will work too, albeit with a lot more work. Here you’ll need to capture the Moon in overlapping sections. We recommend nine panes or fewer. Once captured, process each pane and combine using your preferred graphic-editing software to create a full disc.

STEP 3

It is important that every capture is made using the same equipment and image scale. Attempting to grab a capture every day throughout a lunar month is a tall order and, unless you are very lucky, unlikely to be achieved. A few days missing here and there are not a major problem, but the more you capture, the better the end result.

STEP 4

Note that lunar months are not equivalent. You can’t take a photo of a 1, 2, 3 and 5-day old Moon in month one and complete the sequence with a 4-day old Moon from the subsequent month, as it won’t show the correct apparent size. Sequences need to be consecutive in time in order to work.

STEP 5

Once you have grabbed a sequence, it’s time to assemble them to show how the size changes. Your images should be to the same image scale, which means they can be directly laid next to one another to show how the Moon’s diameter changes over time. A scale next to the composite will help amplify this fact.

STEP 6

Alternatively, show the changes in size by cutting each image in half and combining them in a way that compares the cut edge lengths. Another method is to cut a same-width-diameter strip out of each image and align them side by side to show the diameter changes. Ensure each strip has a date label attached.