Why does nobody talk about how tricky it is to photograph the moon through city haze?

Last Tuesday I set up my telescope on my balcony in downtown Austin around 9 PM to catch the waxing gibbous moon. Everything looked clear to my eyes, but every single photo came out blurry and washed out with this weird orange glow. Turns out the high humidity mixed with all the city lights was creating a layer of haze I couldn't see at ground level. Has anyone else dealt with this and found a filter that actually cuts through the urban glow?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_river29d agoMost Upvoted

...not to be that guy, but is this really a huge problem or just a minor inconvenience? I live in a mid-size city that gets plenty of haze and I just wait for a clear night or take my gear to a darker spot. A UV filter helps a little, but honestly the cheap ones just add more glare. It's the moon, not a wedding photo. It'll look the same tomorrow night.

ryanh7728d ago

Man, I totally feel your pain on this. I actually read somewhere that city haze is basically a soup of warm air, moisture, and light scattering off all that dust and pollution, which is why the moon looks like a washed out orange blob instead of crisp and sharp. @the_river has a point that it's not the end of the world, but for folks who don't have a car or the time to drive out into the sticks every time they want a good shot, it's a real drag. I've heard the Optolong moon and skyglow filter works better than the cheap UV ones for cutting that specific glow, though it still won't fix a super soupy night. Maybe give it a shot on a drier evening and see if the difference is worth the cash.