when i take a picture of the moon it looks huge but wonce it has been developed it looks really small. Any ideas why?
2007-12-13 01:45:44 · 19 answers · asked by tad_pole99 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
the photo is small perhaps
2007-12-13 01:51:35 · answer #1 · answered by spice 5 · 0⤊ 6⤋
The Moon's apparent size is half a degree. The "normal" lens of a camera will cover a field of view of at least 40 degrees. Most modern automatic cameras have a slightly smaller focal length lens than normal (this makes auto-focus more forgiving) so that they often cover at least 50 degrees by 35 degrees.
The Moon is a circle of diameter 1/2 degree. Therefore the Moon covers (approximately) 1/7000 of the picture. Or less if it is not the Full Moon.
That is small.
2007-12-13 02:33:56 · answer #2 · answered by Raymond 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
When looking at the Moon "live", it's an attention getter simply because it is so big compared to the other objects up there. Other than the Sun, of course.
But it really only takes up a very, very small patch out of the entire sky.
And, if you think about it, all landscape photos (except, perhaps, terrific photos made with very good equipment) look "flatter" and smaller than the real thing.
2007-12-13 08:20:01 · answer #3 · answered by Robert K 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's an optical illusion caused by the fact that your eyes have a narrower viewing angle than the camera, and because the process of vision is fundamentally different than the process of taking a photo. The camera doesn't know to "concentrate" on the Moon when you take a photograph, and you form an image of it with your eyes constantly moving around, whereas the camera can't.
You could use a telephoto lens, but that's as much as i can help you because i know nothing at all about photography.
2007-12-13 23:29:53 · answer #4 · answered by grayure 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The moon (and the sun) present a disk only 0.07 inch across. I have no idea why someone above said it is 4 feet - where did that come from.
Obviously to measure the apparant size of something distant, you need a standard - things will measure much smaller the nearer you hold your finger and thumb to your eye. Try it. There is a vast difference between measuring near the eye and measure at arm's length.
The scientific standard is 25 cm (10 inches in imperial). So, hold your hand 10 inches from your eye and measure the moon between thumb and forefinger. You will be very surprised how small it is.
0.07 inch or about 2mm.
2007-12-13 06:16:08 · answer #5 · answered by nick s 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If you mean why does it look small on the photo to the way you remember it looking to you at the time, it is because of a form of optical illusion to do with the way our eyes work.
Objects tend to look bigger or smaller to us depending on whether we percieve them to be nearby or very far away.
When the moon is high in the sky, it is impossible for us to judge its distance, so we see it as it really is.
However, when it is close to the horizon, it appears very big compared to the objects in front of it on the horizon (houses, trees etc), so it LOOKS bigger to us. In actual fact, the moon is slightly smaller on the horizon than directly above, because it is further away by 6371 km (the radius of the Earth).
2007-12-13 02:44:27 · answer #6 · answered by Greg K 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
In terms of angular size, the moon is smaller than most people realise. In fact, its diameter is only about 0.5 degree. Unless you use a powerful telephoto lens, an object of that angular size will look small in a photo.
2007-12-13 10:08:07 · answer #7 · answered by James P 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1
2017-02-11 02:13:29 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it IS small. The same happens with all kinds of distant objects. Mountains that look so close and big to your eye look so small and low and far away in photographs. You can see a wide area with your eye and your brain can concentrate on one part of what you see and make it seem bigger. It is almost like mental magnification. But in reality the Moon is SO small in the sky that you can completely cover it up with your little finger. Try it! Close one eye and look at the Moon with the open eye. Then hold up your LITTLE finger and it will easily hide the whole Moon, even with your arm stretched out as far as you can.
2007-12-13 01:52:28 · answer #9 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 8⤊ 1⤋
if you're trying to get a better picture of the moon and can afford it, i would recommend getting a telephoto lens for your camera. it will help you zoom in on far away objects and help them show up larger in your photos.
2007-12-13 03:24:51 · answer #10 · answered by emo girl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it ensue by using fact of cameras result if we seem with our eyes,moon will appear as if smaller by using distance between earth and moon and the attitude the place we seem on the moon
2016-11-26 19:31:27 · answer #11 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋