Question about my photos of a Full Moon -- What is this point of light?

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In summary: That's why you might see it in different positions in successive photos. If you've ever been on a car ride at night and seen the headlights of oncoming cars in the rearview mirror, that's how it would look.
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Graham 1956
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I have just taken three photos of the full moon. I am in Southern Spain and the photos were taken around 22.40 (CET).
In each of the three photos, taken within seconds of each other, there is a bright point of light (a dot). In one frame it is in front of the surface of the moon. In the other two frames, it can be seen in the top right quarter of the sky next to the moon (in different positions). A year or two ago, I took a similar succession of photos and saw the same thing. On that occasion, I took more frames and the bright dot could be seen in each of them, but never in the same position. Because of the speed that these frames were taken, it could look like it was a single point of light travelling across the face of the moon and travelling off to the side, and going behind the moon (maybe, that's just fanciful?)
Can anyone explain what this is, please?

I would add the frames here, but I can't see a way to upload photos.
 
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Graham 1956 said:
I would add the frames here, but I can't see a way to upload photos.
There should be a button marked "Attach files" just below the reply box. A thumbnail should appear below the reply box once you've selected a file, and it should have a button marked "Insert..." over it. Click that and select Full image.

Or if you are using the reply box in rich text editor mode, click the image button in the bar at the top of the box (it's rectangular with a stylised sun and mountains) and use that option.

Edit: by the way, the forum software automatically resizes large images and small features can be lost. You might want to post the images and also cropped images of just the part with the bright dot. Or host the images elsewhere and link.
 
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Uploading the photos would certainly help, but what you are describing sounds a lot like a satellite. Are you usually able identify satellites when you see them with your naked eye? You can confirm a satellite and which one with planetarium software such as stellarium.
 
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russ_watters said:
what you are describing sounds a lot like a satellite.
That would be my guess too. "Going behind the moon" is more likely "going in front of the moon and being lost against a bright background".
 
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Graham 1956 said:
I have just taken three photos of the full moon. I am in Southern Spain and the photos were taken around 22.40 (CET).
In each of the three photos, taken within seconds of each other, there is a bright point of light (a dot). In one frame it is in front of the surface of the moon. In the other two frames, it can be seen in the top right quarter of the sky next to the moon (in different positions). A year or two ago, I took a similar succession of photos and saw the same thing. On that occasion, I took more frames and the bright dot could be seen in each of them, but never in the same position. Because of the speed that these frames were taken, it could look like it was a single point of light travelling across the face of the moon and travelling off to the side, and going behind the moon (maybe, that's just fanciful?)
Can anyone explain what this is, please?

I would add the frames here, but I can't see a way to upload photos.
The International Space Station comes to mind. It's very visible to the naked eye. It doesn't sound like Elon Musk's Starlink satellites since you would see a string of them.
 
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As the Earth rotates, a geostationary satellite would take about two minutes to cross the full width of the face of the Moon.
 
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FAQ: Question about my photos of a Full Moon -- What is this point of light?

1. What is the bright point of light near the Full Moon in my photo?

The bright point of light near the Full Moon in your photo is most likely a planet. Venus, Jupiter, and sometimes Mars and Saturn can appear very bright and close to the Moon in the night sky.

2. Could the bright point of light be a star?

Yes, it could be a bright star. Some stars like Sirius, which is the brightest star in the night sky, can appear near the Moon. However, planets are usually the more likely explanation due to their brightness and relative proximity to the Moon.

3. How can I identify whether the point of light is a planet or a star?

To identify whether the point of light is a planet or a star, you can use a stargazing app or software that maps the night sky. Planets do not twinkle like stars do and they follow a specific path along the ecliptic plane.

4. Is it possible that the point of light is an artificial satellite or the International Space Station (ISS)?

While it is possible, artificial satellites and the ISS move relatively quickly across the sky and would not appear as a stationary point of light in a photo. They usually appear as streaks of light in long-exposure photographs.

5. Why does the point of light appear so close to the Full Moon in my photo?

The apparent proximity of the point of light to the Full Moon is due to the line of sight from your vantage point on Earth. In reality, the Moon and the point of light (whether a planet or a star) are very far apart in space, but they can appear close together in the sky due to their positions along the ecliptic plane.

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