Moonset Sequence Over Limestone Mountain - 1
The Moon orbits Earth in an elliptical orbit so its distance from our planet varies during each revolution. The Moon is closest to Earth at perigee and most distant at apogee. The Full Moon of 2020 February 09 occurred very near perigee. As a result it appeared some 14% larger and 30% brighter than a Full Moon near apogee.
This image sequence captures the near perigee Full Moon setting over Limestone Mountain in Arizona Sky Village (Portal, AZ).
A detailed list of all Super Moons occurring during the 21st Century can be found at Full Moon at Perigee.
Technical Details
- Subject: Moonset Sequence Over Limestone Mountain - 1
- Date/Time: 2020 February 09 at 12:30 UTC
- Location: Bifrost Astronomical Observatory, Portal, AZ
- Lens: Sigma AF 70-300mm APO
- Tripod: Manfrotto 3001
- Camera: Nikon D800
- Exposure: 1/200 s, f/8, ISO 400
- File Name: Moonset2020Feb09-3w.jpg
- Processing: Curves, Unsharp Mask (Photoshop CC)
- Original Image Size: 7360 x 4912 pixels (36.3 MP); 24.5" x 16.4" @ 300 dpi
- Rights: Copyright 2020 by Fred Espenak. All Rights Reserved. See: Image Licensing.