AUSTIN (KXAN) — The harvest moon, the first full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox, was visible over Central Texas last night. KXAN viewers sent in some of their photos:




A challenge with photographing the full moon is that it is very bright compared to the night sky. To help us out, a NASA guide explains how to take a great moon photo. Here’s some of their tips for smartphone users:
- Stabilize your phone on a tripod or using an object to prop it up;
- Tap on the moon to set your focus;
- Lower the brightness. On some photo apps, a slider will appear after you tap to focus; and
- Don’t use digital zoom — this can make your shot look fuzzier.
For users confident with manual settings on cameras or photo apps, NASA recommends setting your ISO low and aperture wide. But its guide also refers to the “Looney 11” rule.
“At its most basic, the rule is to set the aperture at f/11, and make the ISO and exposure time the same,” the NASA guide said. “So if the ISO is 100, the exposure time would be 1/100. Aim for a low ISO since the Moon is so bright ― 100 is a good place to launch your experiments.”
Here’s a shot sent in by a professional photographer from Elgin, Texas:

If you want to send in your photos, whether of the harvest moon or not, visit KXAN’s ReportIt page.
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