Christmas is over and there are still pine needles embedded into my slippers but, aside from the uncomfortable journey from room to room, I’m happy. Happy because, this week, the 4th series of Stargazing Live is back on our screens to inform and educate our great nation about the vast universe that we’re suspended in. Live from Jodrell Bank, Professor Brian Cox, Dara O Briain and a host of suitably super brained scientists will convince us that looking up once in a while is not just good for our soul but it might just be really, really interesting too.
Image c/o BBC Pictures
Familiarity has, somehow left a lot of us unaware how amazing our nearest celestial being is. In 2011 I spent some time alone in the back garden, just me, a camera and a cheap 70 – 200mm lens, just staring up at the night sky. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you need the fanciest of tracking telescopes to see the best view of the moon (although one would certainly help, any offers?). The image below is one I adore and was the product of my night under the moon and stars. It’s easy to achieve too, all you need is a tripod – trust me you NEED this – and a camera with a good zoom function or a proper zoom lens. You can try your luck on the auto setting but if you want to try it on the manual setting then set your camera to this…use a 200mm telephoto lens, aperture f11, after a bit of faffing around I set the white balance to daylight and set the timer on 125th of a second. You will have to crop your image later on in whichever editing program you choose to use, but I would love to see your results if you try this. Send your images to Vix@trulymadlykids.co.uk or tag us on instagram TMKUK.
To learn about facts and figures about our Moon and where to look and for what, check out the BBC’s fabulous guide right HERE.
Stargazing Live starts on January 7th on BBC2 at 8pm. Enjoy!
Think big and reach for the stars (and moon!)
Vix
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