Mega-detailed images of the Moon took 250,000 frames to capture
- Check out these detailed images of the moon as you’ve never seen it before
- Captured “the most basic astronomical camera” with my 8 inch telescope attached
- They reveal textures and hues of the lunar landscape you’d never expect
Published on Feb 19, 2024 at 3:46 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Feb 20, 2024 at 1:13 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
These stunningly detailed images of the moon capture the lunar landscape as you’ve never seen it beefore.
Photographed by astrophotographer, Darya Kawa Mirza, it left the internet mesmerised.
And it wasn’t just an iPhone he used to take the snaps.
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He took the photographs with a Celestron NexStar 8SE attached to a Canon EOS 1200D.
Its beauty lies in its clarity.
Showing the illuminated section of the Moon in great detail, the image reveals everything from crater marks to ridges.
Mirza proudly shared the image to Reddit back in 2022 alongside the caption: “One of the sharpest moon image[s] I ever captured through a 8-inch telescope.”
The image is obviously awe-inspiring, however it’s also interesting to note the array of colors visible.
It reveals that, while we think of the Moon as white and grey – because that’s how it appears from Earth with the naked eye – it in fact features hues of blue and ochre you might not expect.
“I started shooting 360 raw images then I combined them into one to reveal the color and increase the sharpness as well as the clarity of the surface,” he said.
“Keep in mind this is a cropped version from the original one. I mainly use photoshop to merge all my images”.
While now archived, since it was shared the photo garnered more than 62,000 upvotes and around 1,000 comments.
He shared more details on his process to his Instagram account.
“I took almost a quarter million frames (231,000) and I spend unimaginable amount of work over the course of 3 weeks to process and stack all the data which was equivalent to 313 GB,” he said.
“I used the most basic astronomical camera (ZWO ASI120mc along with my 8 inch telescope (celestron nextsar 8se) without a barlow i.e at prime focus 2032mm.
“The mosaic moon was compromised with 77 panels each panel consist of 3000 frames. It is worth mentioning that i used canon eos 1200D to add mineral color on the surface.”
The fascination about the Moon shows no signs of abating with SpaceX and NASA collaborating to build the first Moon base.
And the images from Space have kept on coming since 2022.
As a NASA telescope discovered a Sci-Fi-like half-lava world and Japan’s Moon lander took one last photo in space before it was shut down.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
