An Exercise in Futility?

I like taking pictures of the moon. I’ve always imagined taking a photograph which would include a group of shots of the moon as it rises up over the horizon, all on one photo. The near-by cemetery is a perfect spot for such an attempt. The view to the east is across a wide valley and the horizon is fairly close to being level. The next morning, the moon would be rising while the sky was still dark and it would be a nice sized crescent, perfect for an attempt!

    (Tuesday 8.23.22) I woke up around 1:40 and when I looked outside, there were numerous stars visible in the sky. I got dressed, put some day-old coffee in my travel mug and loaded my camera gear in the car. The cemetery is only about 3 minutes away, I only got one sip of coffee before I had arrived.

    I set my tripod up, made sure all the joints were tightened and the legs were solid. The camera was leveled and manually focused on infinity. I took a couple shots to determine what exposure I should use and then I got out my compass to determine where the moon would be rising. (54 degrees from north, give or take) I centered the camera there and then waited.

    A large cloud was gathering in the valley below, extending into the sky and obscuring the horizon towards the south-east. The area I was concerned with was still clear. I had about 10 minutes until moonrise.

    While waiting for the magic moment, the clouds started moving towards my target area. When the clock showed 2:38AM, moon-rise, my site was hidden by the mists. 

    I used my binoculars to scan the top of the hillside, going well past the place where I had guessed it would appear. I took a couple more test shots, being sure to check my lens for moisture. The cool air and the humidity had given it a slight coating and I carefully cleaned it off before each shot.  Still, no moon was visible.

    The moon simply wasn’t bright enough to be seen through the fog. Being only 15% illuminated, it was hidden by the clouds which were getting thicker. I could still see the lights of houses on the hill and I had my fingers crossed. I kept scanning the hilltop for any possible sign of the moon, with no luck. After 30 minutes had passed, I finally gave up my search. 

    I took one more shot before tearing down the set-up.  This morning was a wash but there was always tomorrow morning, the weather forecast looks a little better. The moon will be rising around 3:36, but it will be even smaller, only 9% illuminated, even tougher to see! We'll see what tomorrow will bring!

    I will get this shot...eventually!

    (Wednesday 8.24.22) The alarm went off a little before 3. With some fresh coffee in my travel mug I headed out to the car.  My camera gear was already there. Overhead there were lots of stars, I was feeling hopeful.

    There were some clouds visible in the west as I set up and wouldn’t you know it, they covered the sky 10 minutes before moonrise. Not even Jupiter was visible. Still, I kept my hopes up.

    At 3:36 most of the clouds had passed by and behind me the sky was once again covered with stars. I kept scanning back and forth, trying to catch that first view of the moon.

    When it showed up, the first thing visible was the orangish colored dark side. I re-centered the camera and started taking pictures. I took one shot every minute, counting off the seconds in my head. I checked for moisture on the lens before clicking the shutter and was extra careful not to bump the tripod as I did it. 26 minutes later, the moon left the cameras field of view.  I took a couple more shots and then packed up my gear.

    The sky looked great, Jupiter was high overhead, Mars was sitting below the Pleiades, Orion was hanging low near the horizon and Castor and Pollux were sitting above the moon. I spent a little time gazing through the binoculars and got lost in the multitudes of stars that opened up in front of me.

    The pictures all came together well, it was pretty much what I was envisioning. It didn’t come out the way I had planned on Tuesday but on the next day, it all came together.  No matter what you're attempting, keep on trying, it’s bound to work out eventually!