"Super" Full Moon

Our Lunar Eclipse article is still one of the highest rated. So many of you may be excited about the "Super" full moon tonight. The moon will be visible as early as 3:00pm EST, and will appear 14% larger and 30% brighter in some places. The full moon will appear within 1 hour of perigee. The last time we saw a moon like this was in 2008 [above], though some sites claim 1993 since the moon appeared a full 4 hours away from perigee.

Tweet us your images from tonight @photogblogger and it could be the featured photo of this article! Also Teriq is accepting submissions over at SPACE.com. Email him at tmalik@space.com.

Followup: Lunar Eclipse

f/9 200mm 1/250 | Copyright www.photogblogger.com
This morning around 1:30am, the Northern Hemisphere awoke to an amazing site. December 21 marks the first time in over 350 years that a lunar eclipse occurred during a solstice. For a gallery of images from around the world, head over to the Huffington Post.

Lunar Eclipse and the Solstice

Photo: Martin Pugh

This generation has witnessed many historical occurrences. From the "brightest moon" to the devastating hurricanes and the most recent oil spill, Photojournalists have given us stories that seem to be out of the next Hollywood film. Tonight, it continues with a total Lunar Eclipse. What makes this particular occurrence a once in a lifetime event is that it will occur during a solstice. The last time this happened was in 1638, over 350 years ago.

The eclipse will be visible from 1:33 to 5:01 a.m. EST Tuesday, with the total eclipse starting at about 2:41 a.m. This is also the darkest night of the year for those in the Northern Hemisphere so expect to see some very vivid red and purple tones. North America, Greenland and Iceland will have front row seats, while Europe and Asia will catch glimpses at the beginning and ending stages. If your batteries aren't charged, charge them now, you don't want to miss this!

TIPS:
*Don't slow the shutter down too much, remember the Earth is spinning and can create blur.
*Try not to shoot wide open apertures. Often a couple stops down will yield a sweet spot in the lens delivering a crisper image.
*Use at least a 200mm lens. The closer you can get, the larger your subject will be and you will easily pick up detail the eye can not see.


Links:
NASA eclipse guide (Eastern Time Zone)