As an astronomer or astrophotographer, the moon is one of those things you either love or hate – maybe a mix of both.
While in itself a marvellous target for both photographers and visual observers, a bright moon wreaks havoc on night sky images that are of anything BUT the moon.
The effects of a bright full moon in the sky are similar to the effects of light pollution. It washes out faint, deep sky fuzzies and the integration time needed to get images under a bright moon increases significantly.
Google Moon Map
Here you can explore the moon’s details in high resolution using Google’s Moon Map. There’s a lot to see, so zoom around and have fun!