17 replies to this topic

[Ar3s701]

I don't have many options. Simple question, how much will a full moon impact my RGB imaging if my target is in the North and the Moon is in the South? Basically pointed at the opposite end of the sky.

Edited by Ar3s701, 10 February 2025 - 09:46 PM.

[bobzeq25]

In that circumstance I image star clusters. Trying to pull dim stuff out of Moonlit skies is pretty silly. Narrowband could work.

[PIEJr]

I do the same thing, aim North.

A friend of mine calls it Narrowband filter time.

 

If you don't like what you get, you can use my favorite key, the delete key.

 

But if the sky is clear, don't waste it because you're shy of the Moon.

Bright Moon lets you save your headlamp. 

[matt_astro_tx]

Great time to image globular clusters.  That's about it for broadband.

[Ar3s701]

I do the same thing, aim North.

A friend of mine calls it Narrowband filter time.

 

If you don't like what you get, you can use my favorite key, the delete key.

 

But if the sky is clear, don't waste it because you're shy of the Moon.

Bright Moon lets you save your headlamp. 

Never a dull time to shoot some Ha. Maybe some questionable O3 data.

[Spaceman 56]

I find that I cant capture much when the moons out, because I shoot in OSC and don't use filters.

 

I could easily buy some filters, but mostly I don't like the results that I see, from people shooting with them, so I have not bothered.

 

actually I quite like the cycle, of 2 weeks on, and 2 weeks off. it gives me a much needed rest.  

[rj144]

I find that I cant capture much when the moons out, because I shoot in OSC and don't use filters.

 

I could easily buy some filters, but mostly I don't like the results that I see, from people shooting with them, so I have not bothered.

 

actually I quite like the cycle, of 2 weeks on, and 2 weeks off. it gives me a much needed rest.  

Well, you should be good considering one clear night for you is literally equivalent to 40 clear nights for me in Bortle 8/9.  

[peterc]

I've found over time that I will be SHOn the way

[Zambiadarkskies]

Moonlight is one of the main reasons I own a 3nm dualband filter. It works incredibly well under moonlight!

[GiffS]

With as few clear nights as I get I can't waste a clear night even if the moon is full. I will usually search for a target as far from it as possible and NB filters are your friend. Because I try to get as much time as possible on a target I will often have subs that suffer from the moon's impact and other that don't. With any luck from the weather gods I will end up with more subs that aren't washed out. With the currently available gradient correction tools and following the game plan it usually works out okay.

[Zambiadarkskies]

With as few clear nights as I get I can't waste a clear night even if the moon is full. I will usually search for a target as far from it as possible and NB filters are your friend. Because I try to get as much time as possible on a target I will often have subs that suffer from the moon's impact and other that don't. With any luck from the weather gods I will end up with more subs that aren't washed out. With the currently available gradient correction tools and following the game plan it usually works out okay.

I fully agree. Even though in our dry season I do get a lot of imaging time, I am not going to waste clear dark skies NOT shooting. Especially with a semi permanent rig where all I have to do is stick a dualband filter in the drawer after flipping two switches and removing the cover. After that it's a matter of mouse clicks. Better to have data and hit delete than have no data.

[dswtan]

A lot seems to depend too on how far away from the moon you are, and then lucky/unlucky reflections within the dew shield/tube. What focal length too, wide or narrow.

 

I would never do L or even RGB in strong moonlight today. Ha and Sii, sure. Not Oiii though. Even at a long focal length (e.g. >1000mm. But if really pushed, and the moon was >60deg away, I might do R in an "emergency". G/B too I suppose, worst case. I would try it anyway, and just dump it if it failed when Blinking the next day. It's easier when you're semi-permanent.

 

In wide (<300mm) I just got a 3nm filter set and had to dump the complete set of Ha from that with the moon 24 degrees away. I thought it might work, but no such luck.

[Kevin_A]

Image just star clusters and globs in a direction away from the moon and nothing much more. At the end of the day it all comes down to….garbage in equals garbage out. If you don't care and just want to image then go for it, it’s way better than watching crappy TV! 

[unimatrix0]

I just tried imaging the Rosette Nebula with nearly full moon. 
 
The Antlia Triband filter helps plenty with light pollution. 
 
I captured 2 hours of it, before it was too low on the sky. 

This was also my first light with the Svbony 102mm F7 doublet  (reduced to F5.6), which I bought for a price of what the 80mm version used to be sold for. 
 
 
The moon was like right next to it.  

GraXpert killed all the gradients. 

This isn't like a super processed image, no star separation all that, it's only 2hr 20 minutes, so not serious imaging by any stretch. 

Also, it was captured  with my Nikon D5600 

The bloating stars are the hallmark of this doublet. They were expected to happen. 

Edited by unimatrix0, 12 February 2025 - 06:44 PM.

[Zambiadarkskies]

"I was asked about the performance of the L-Ultimate filter under a full moon in a dark sky location (class 1). I shot Carina over four nights leading up to and including the full moon on the 5th May 2023."

Of course, I forgot. Nobody needs filters under dark skies, right? Beats rubbish TV....

[Andros246]

I have the un popular opinion but it’s my experience

I shoot everything broadband under b8 (my light domes are SQM 17.3) yes no filters besides the required uv-ir.

If you are under heavy light pollution (B7 at zenith and b9 inside the light domes) and have proper coated optics and a proper dew shield to protect from the reflected moon light the moon basically does nothing my subs on a moonless night are identical to those on a moon lit night.

Depends on how many clear nights you get, here in Ohio I might get 2 nights the entire month in the winter of clear skies doesn’t matter what I’m shooting im shooting it.

The only time you should be concerned with the moon is if you have poorly protected optics. (Camera lens especially) or if your under a dark sky, if your under bortle 5-6 I would test it you might be shocked odds are mixing moon lit and moonless data won’t ruin it.

Edited by Andros246, 12 February 2025 - 07:41 PM.

[Ar3s701]

Just an update. I did collect some H and O data on Thor's Helmet, but also RGB data on M81 which is opposite of the moon. The result is.....gradients. I got some useful data, but I have to spend more time cleaning up the gradients. Luckily, my 12 hr of L data is from moonless nights so that helps.

[Alex McConahay]

One thing that has not been mentioned is the clarity of the sky. A bright moon in a clean sky is not as much of a problem as the same moon in a hazy sky.

 

Alex