Super Moon Photography - Seal Beach Pier

Let's get together to shoot the first Super Moon of 2020.
(Moonrise 7:12 pm)

A SuperMoon is a new or full moon closely coinciding with perigee, the moon’s closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit. According to the original definition of SuperMoon – coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 – a full moon or new moon has to come within 90 percent of its closest approach to Earth to be dubbed a SuperMoon. In other words, any full moon or new moon that comes to within 224,865 miles or 361,885 km (or less) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, can be called a SuperMoon, according to Nolle’s original and extremely generous definition. That’s why you might hear about a number of SuperMoons in any given year.

We figure out “90 percent of the moon’s closest approach to Earth” by the year’s closest perigee (moon’s closest point to Earth for the year) and the year’s farthest apogee (moon’s farthest point from Earth for the year). Given that the closest perigee is 221,772 miles (356,907 km) and the farthest apogee is 252,707 miles (406,692 km), then any full moon or new moon coming closer than 224,865 miles (361,885 km), as measured from the centers of the Earth and moon, counts as a SuperMoon in 2020.

SuperMoons of 2020

March 9, 2000: 222,081 miles (357,404 km)

April 8, 2020: 221,851 miles (357,035 km)

May 7, 2020: 224,429 miles (361,184 km)

Moon is the brightest object in night sky. If you have previously attempted to capture the Moon and it came out very small or looked like a white blob, don’t be frustrated. Many photographers go through similar pains the first time they try it out. Moon photography can be difficult and frustrating.

There are some special techniques and settings used to shoot moon. It is not that difficult once you learn these and practice a few times.

You'll need this equipment

1. DSLR/Mirrorless camera
2. Tripod
3. Telephoto lens (200mm and above - longer the better)
4. Remote (preferred) otherwise we will shoot with a timer.

We will shoot in all manual mode.

If you don't have a long lens, you can practice on my setup.

Here are some other useful points of information about how the Moon looks at different times:

1. The Moon is tidally locked to Earth, meaning that we only ever see one side of the moon, no matter the time of day, time of year, or your location on Earth.

2. The distance from Earth to Moon varies throughout the year. When the Moon is closest to Earth, it is often referred to as the “Supermoon”. When the moon is is the furthest away from the Earth, it is referred to as “Micromoon”. More on the Supermoon below.

3. If there is more than one Full Moon in a month, it is referred to as the “Blue Moon”.

4. When the Sun, Earth and Moon line up, an eclipse occurs. It’s a Solar Eclipse when the Moon is blocking out the Sun (this is the more famous type of eclipse), while it’s a Lunar Eclipse when the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon.

5. The Moon during a Lunar Eclipse is often referred to as the “Blood Moon” due to its red appearance.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Moon’s illumination moves from right to left. In the Southern Hemisphere, the illumination moves from left to right.