December 24th, 2023, 11:31 p.m. local time
The weather here in the Midwest has been unseasonable these last few days leading up to Christmas. As I write, early Christmas morning, the temperature is 51 degrees Fahrenheit! It won’t last, but with the skies mostly clear, I wanted to capture tonight’s almost Full Moon before we return to typical late December weather in a couple of days.
The relatively high temperatures brought a very consistent rain, so I was surprised that the skies were clear at all tonight.
And this being Christmas, I decided to have a little seasonal fun with today’s image. I previously captured an airplane and geese flying near or through my view of the Moon. Is it so difficult to believe that Santa Claus himself could make a cameo on this of all nights?
Equipment Used:
- 127mm Mak-Cass telescope
- 23mm eyepiece
- No eyepiece filter
- iPhone 14 Pro
- Smartphone telescope eyepiece adapter
- NightCap app on iPhone
- f/1.8
- 1/425 sec exposure
- ISO 57
- Focal length: 7mm
- Touchups in PaintShop Pro and AfterShot Pro, with obvious Christmas-themed editing!
Thank you for reading my article. Merry Christmas!
