Set Your Alarm, Because A Super Pink Moon Is Rising Tonight
While some people are lucky enough to be isolating with sweeping ocean views, grassy bushland, or at least a few neighbours windows to peek into, I have a brick wall. If I go downstairs and out into my small concrete courtyard, I have a high wooden fence. Needless to say, I miss pretty things.
All this to say, that you’d better believe I’ll be in that courtyard looking up at the sky tonight, trying to catch a glimpse of the ‘Super Pink Moon’.
Yup, tonight the moon will glow a pretty pink colour thanks to our rocky neighbour being a Full Moon at the same time as being at the closest point to Earth in its orbit. It may not be the rarest celestial event, but it still won’t happen again until this time next year so it’s nothing to be nonchalant about.
Moonrise will obviously vary slightly around Australia, but typically you’re looking at 6 to 6.30 pm, with the best viewing to happen from around 11 to 11.30 pm. Of course, where I am in Sydney the sky is looking pretty grey right now so who knows, but where else do you have to be?
How to photograph the April Supermoon 2020 in Australia
If you’re hoping to snap a shot of the glowing pink orb, Nikon School lecturer and astrophotographer Steven Morris reckons your best bet is a tripod and a camera that will allow you to use focal lengths of 200mm or more. Read: your camera phone probably won’t cut it.
If you ARE once of those budding photographer types, Steven says “a quick exposure of around 1/800th or faster helps with countering the earth’s rotation and leaves you with a nice clear image”.
“For nice, sharp results, use an aperture of around F/8,” he continues, “[and] depending on the phase of the moon ISO may need to be increased.”
(Lead Image: Pexels / GEORGE DESIPRIS)
