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View Full Version : Mars nearby? Just wait a few 100 years!


Tom V
August 28th, 2003, 02:59 PM
Anyone have a memorable shot of Mars? Or, Mars surrounded by its dimmer neighbors in the night sky?

I don't have a great lens for shooting a "close up" of any planet except Earth. I might try a whole sky shot - I have never tried it.

I was thinking that any shot of Mars is going to look about like any other shot of Mars. What is neat this time is that it is so much brighter than all the other night lights. I think this would be best shown with a shot of the sky, or just the region of the sky with Mars in it. Still or streaked? - I don't know which would be better. To show that it is near and bright, you have to compare it to something - other stars & planets.

Since Mars is fully lit like a full moon would be, would you use the same exposure you would use on moon shots?

White balance would have to be Daylight, since it is lit by the sun. I would imagine that a "Sunny 16" exposure would be a good starting point.

I heard that Mars will be millions of miles closer in the year 2257 or so. I can't wait that long.

Swampy
August 28th, 2003, 04:37 PM
You're exposure with a standard camera lens of up to around 400mm will still need a lengthy exposure compared to taking a shot of a full moon (1/60th!). Mars ia approximately 1/40th the size of a normal full moon (talking about OUR view from here on earth). Daylight WB would be correct.

When I try and take a shot with my telescope straight out, "no magnification" @2000mm, the shutter speed needs to be around 1/20th~1/30th. With my tripod the way it shakes, that doesn't work for me. I'm still working on it though. My only memorable shot is posted in the general section until the web page problems thread. :(