Why does the moon look full in my photos,....

[Jessica Ann Yost]

...so close to the Sun's position? Is this even possible?

First two, taken around May 1st, 2015.
Last one, taken in October, 2015

 

[fresh_42]

Could it be Venus?

 

[davenn]

hi Jessica
welcome to PF

I mis-read your post

that bright spot to the side is likely to be just lens flare ( reflections within the lens system)

you shouldn't be pointing an unprotected lens / camera at the sun
it's a good way to damage things including your eyesightDave

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

Could it be Venus?

It's the moon. I saw it was before I took the picture. I always take pictures of the moon during the day because my camera isn't good enough to catch planets or other stars, unless it is very dark out. Even then, it doesn't catch much else.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

hi Jessica
welcome to PF

I mis-read your post

that bright spot to the side is likely to be just lens flare ( reflections within the lens system)

you shouldn't be pointing an unprotected lens / camera at the sun
it's a good way to damage things including your eyesightDave

It's the moon.

<< Post edited by Mentor >>

 

[Bandersnatch]

So you could see the whole face of the moon despite it being close to the Sun (but very dimly)? I'd say it's Earth'shine then.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetshine

 

[davenn]

...so close to the Sun's position? Is this even possible?

So if you really think this is the moon

of course it's possible for it to be that close in the sky to the sun
the moon occasionally goes in front of the sun to produce a solar eclipse

It's the moon.

I've been glancing at the Sun since I was little. I have 20/20 vision still. I'm 28 years old.

you are really very silly ... highly dangerous activity
Dave

 

[davenn]

So you could see the whole face of the moon despite it being close to the Sun (but very dimly)? I'd say it's Earth'shine then.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetshine

no, think about it ...

when the moon is that close to the sun ... it's close to the new moon phase and it isn't seen, even with Earth'shine
we only dimly see Earth'shine during twilight and darker hours and no way is it bright enough to light up that moon that bright during the day to compete with the brightness of the sun in the sky ... aint going to happen ! period

I personally still have my doubts that it's the moon ... I have seen plenty of lens flare photos just like that

Dave

 

[Drakkith]

...so close to the Sun's position? Is this even possible?

I'd guess that the light from the small sliver of sunlit moon is enough to make it look that bright. Just like the Sun drowns out everything in the image near it, the light from the small amount of visible sunlit side may be enough to drown out the nearby dark area. That's mostly a guess though.

I'd say it's Earth'shine then.

Wouldn't the moon look like that at all times then, not just during the day? I know the dark side of the moon isn't that bright at night, no matter what phase it's in.

 

[fresh_42]

I personally still have my doubts that it's the moon ... I have seen plenty of lens flare photos just like that

And I'm still not convinced that it can't be venus.

But I highly recommend your warnings! Risking to burn your retina no photo in the world is worth it!

 

[davenn]

And I'm still not convinced that it can't be venus.

But I highly recommend your warnings! Risking to burn your retina no photo in the world is worth it!

That is a worthy thought :)D

 

[mfb]

I'd guess that the light from the small sliver of sunlit moon is enough to make it look that bright. Just like the Sun drowns out everything in the image near it, the light from the small amount of visible sunlit side may be enough to drown out the nearby dark area. That's mostly a guess though.

The clouds should be brighter than the moon, but they don't show that effect, they have a high contrast.
Overexposure is also unlikely with those clouds.

Lens flare roughly at the point where the moon is?

What is the angular width of those images?

 

[Bandersnatch]

Wouldn't the moon look like that at all times then, not just during the day? I know the dark side of the moon isn't that bright at night, no matter what phase it's in.

Since Earth'shine is light reflected back from the lit side of the planet, you only get it bright enough to be noticeable when the moon is facing a fully lit day side.

I actually do have the same doubts as davenn, but I'm also giving the OP the benefit of the doubt, and assume she knew what she saw with her naked eyes, so I don't want to dismiss it as just a lens flare.

@Jessica Ann Yost: have you got actual time stamps on those pictures, including time of the day? Maybe they weren't taken in Maryland (your profile indicates this location)? We could then pinpoint more or less where the moon should be and see if its position matches the pictures.
It couldn't have been made on 1st of May 2015, that's for certain - the Moon was then below the horizon on the opposite side of the sky (almost full Moon).

 

[davenn]

@Jessica Ann Yost: have you got actual time stamps on those pictures, including time of the day? Maybe they weren't taken in Maryland (your profile indicates this location)? We could then pinpoint more or less where the moon should be and see if its position matches the pictures.
It couldn't have been made on 1st of May 2015, that's for certain - the Moon was then below the horizon on the opposite side of the sky (almost full Moon).

awesome thought, at least I could put date, time and location into Stellarium and see where moon and sun were on that day

EDIT ... OK just plugged a bunch of locations around the Earth into Stellarium for that day, month, year
and for ALL of them the moon was either in the opposite part of the sky or below the horizon

so we really need real location, date and time. else it can only have been Venus or a lens flareDave

 

[davenn]

Lens flare roughly at the point where the moon is?

some lens flare examples
The result is almost identical to the OP's image

Your Honour

I rest my case
Dave

 

[russ_watters]

It's the moon.

Sorry, it is not. It is way too bright to be a new moon. More telling: the moon was nearly full on May 1, 2015 so it was on the other side of the Earth at the time the photo was taken.

 

[russ_watters]

else it can only have been Venus or a lens flare

It can't be Venus either: way, way, way too bright. You can't see Venus that close to the sun.

It's a lens flare. A couple of observations:

1. In all three pictures, if you draw a line between the sun and the flare, the line goes through the center of the photo.
2. The first two photos are apparently taken within minutes or seconds of each other, yet the position of the sun and "moon" are completely different with respect to each other. They should be aligned and the same distance apart in both if that's what it was.

 

[davenn]

It can't be Venus either: way, way, way too bright. You can't see Venus that close to the sun.

It's a lens flare. A couple of observations:

1. In all three pictures, if you draw a line between the sun and the flare, the line goes through the center of the photo.
2. The first two photos are apparently taken within minutes or seconds of each other, yet the position of the sun and "moon" are completely different with respect to each other. They should be aligned and the same distance apart in both if that's what it was.

thanks for the support :)D

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

So you could see the whole face of the moon despite it being close to the Sun (but very dimly)? I'd say it's Earth'shine then.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetshine

I don't think it's planet shine. Yes, I could tell it was the moon. It wasn't as bright to my eyes as it was to the lens of the camera, but looked like an almost full moon. I've never seen planet shine like that..

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

no, think about it ...

when the moon is that close to the sun ... it's close to the new moon phase and it isn't seen, even with Earth'shine
we only dimly see Earth'shine during twilight and darker hours and no way is it bright enough to light up that moon that bright during the day to compete with the brightness of the sun in the sky ... aint going to happen ! period

I personally still have my doubts that it's the moon ... I have seen plenty of lens flare photos just like that

Dave

I agree about the Earth shine. I can't explain why the moon is glowing so brightly in such a position close to the sun's side of earth. The shadow should have been on our side of the moon. I've seen lens flare too. But I saw that moon before taking the pictures.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

I'd guess that the light from the small sliver of sunlit moon is enough to make it look that bright. Just like the Sun drowns out everything in the image near it, the light from the small amount of visible sunlit side may be enough to drown out the nearby dark area. That's mostly a guess though.
Wouldn't the moon look like that at all times then, not just during the day? I know the dark side of the moon isn't that bright at night, no matter what phase it's in.

It's in new moon phase position.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

And I'm still not convinced that it can't be venus.

But I highly recommend your warnings! Risking to burn your retina no photo in the world is worth it!

Venus doesn't look that big to me. And it looked like the moon, without the camera, so. Was Venus very close in early May 2015?

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

And I'm still not convinced that it can't be venus.

But I highly recommend your warnings! Risking to burn your retina no photo in the world is worth it!

No worries about my retinas. It'll be worth it if I see something nobody else sees. I love taking risks. My eyes are fine, btw. Thanks to all who care. (o:

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

The clouds should be brighter than the moon, but they don't show that effect, they have a high contrast.
Overexposure is also unlikely with those clouds.

Lens flare roughly at the point where the moon is?

What is the angular width of those images?

It's between two sides of a county block of Baltimore, MD, facing West. So actually it's somewhat less than 100 degrees visibility of the sky from that point in the middle of the block.. I can take another photo, out front, same positions. I'll show you on google maps, here.(I'm much shorter than that camera on the top of the google maps vehicle)

[personal info deleted by moderator. The precise location is not relevant]

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

The clouds should be brighter than the moon, but they don't show that effect, they have a high contrast.
Overexposure is also unlikely with those clouds.

Lens flare roughly at the point where the moon is?

What is the angular width of those images?

Oh..
The lens flares coming from both the sun and moon.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

Since Earth'shine is light reflected back from the lit side of the planet, you only get it bright enough to be noticeable when the moon is facing a fully lit day side.

I actually do have the same doubts as davenn, but I'm also giving the OP the benefit of the doubt, and assume she knew what she saw with her naked eyes, so I don't want to dismiss it as just a lens flare.

@Jessica Ann Yost: have you got actual time stamps on those pictures, including time of the day? Maybe they weren't taken in Maryland (your profile indicates this location)? We could then pinpoint more or less where the moon should be and see if its position matches the pictures.
It couldn't have been made on 1st of May 2015, that's for certain - the Moon was then below the horizon on the opposite side of the sky (almost full Moon).

It was around May 1st, 2015. I don't know the exact date besides what's on my google images. I don't know if that used the time stamp or upload dates. I just remember it was close, because I have other photos around those dates as well. My memory is pretty good, too, I like to think.

They were taken in Baltimore, Md. See above, in another reply..

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

awesome thought, at least I could put date, time and location into Stellarium and see where moon and sun were on that day

EDIT ... OK just plugged a bunch of locations around the Earth into Stellarium for that day, month, year
and for ALL of them the moon was either in the opposite part of the sky or below the horizon

so we really need real location, date and time. else it can only have been Venus or a lens flareDave

[personal info deleted by moderator. Not a good idea and the location is irrelevant anyway since the moon's phases are the same for everyone]. All I know about the date and time is it was afternoon, around May 1st, 2015.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

some lens flare examples
The result is almost identical to the OP's image

View attachment 95965 View attachment 95966 View attachment 95967Your Honour

I rest my case
Dave

Did you also see those with your eyes, without the camera?
I saw the moon. Then, decided to take a picture. That's what I do..

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

some lens flare examples
The result is almost identical to the OP's image

View attachment 95965 View attachment 95966 View attachment 95967Your Honour

I rest my case
Dave

Sorry, it is not. It is way too bright to be a new moon. More telling: the moon was nearly full on May 1, 2015 so it was on the other side of the Earth at the time the photo was taken.

I know it's too bright to be a new moon. That's why I posted. It looked closer to a full moon, from my eyes perspective. It doesn't make sense, to me.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

some lens flare examples
The result is almost identical to the OP's image

View attachment 95965 View attachment 95966 View attachment 95967Your Honour

I rest my case
Dave

I've seen Iphone5's having that issue, in the last image. I don't have an iphone. And no, it doesn't look exactly the same..

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

It can't be Venus either: way, way, way too bright. You can't see Venus that close to the sun.

It's a lens flare. A couple of observations:

1. In all three pictures, if you draw a line between the sun and the flare, the line goes through the center of the photo.
2. The first two photos are apparently taken within minutes or seconds of each other, yet the position of the sun and "moon" are completely different with respect to each other. They should be aligned and the same distance apart in both if that's what it was.

In the first one, I was on the right side of the street. In the second, I was on the left side, and walked down the street, west, several feet.

The third photo was taken in October, last year. First two, around May 1st, last year.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

[personal info deleted by mod] in the afternoon, near May 1st, 2015, I saw the moon, and decided to take a picture. I took several. I deleted the blurry, shaky ones. The rest were saved in my google pictures, thingy, during a sync. That's all the info I have about the first 2.

Same as above, in October, 2015, standing maybe a few yards away, further East, still facing West, in the last picture.

I'll keep looking up. Would be nice to get a good camera, and catch it again with a flare shield on, removing any doubt.

 

[Bandersnatch]

in the afternoon, near May 1st, 2015, I saw the moon,

I know you think you've got a good memory, but as has been already said a few times, there's no way you could have seen the Moon at that time. And you'd need to wait almost two weeks for the moon to be this close to the Sun (or, made the photos nearly two weeks earlier).

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

I know you think you've got a good memory, but as has been already said a few times, there's no way you could have seen the Moon at that time. And you'd need to wait almost two weeks for the moon to be this close to the Sun (or, made the photos nearly two weeks earlier).

It's possible they were taken two weeks earlier. The date I got might only be the sync date on my google photos.

The last photo was around or before October, last year, then.

 

[russ_watters]

Here's what a directly illuminated moon looks like during the day:

You can't see the un-illuminated part until after sunset:

https://yogainyourpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/moon-sunset.jpeg

 

[russ_watters]

I've seen Iphone5's having that issue, in the last image. I don't have an iphone. And no, it doesn't look exactly the same..

Every camera has a different lens configuration, so the lens flares look a little different. But one thing they apparently always have in common is they are oriented along a line that intersects the center of the image.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

Every camera has a different lens configuration, so the lens flares look a little different. But one thing they apparently always have in common is they are oriented along a line that intersects the center of the image.

Intersects the center of the image, or do you mean of the light source?

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

Here's what a directly illuminated moon looks like during the day:

You can't see the un-illuminated part until after sunset:

https://yogainyourpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/moon-sunset.jpeg

I've seen those, also.

 

[russ_watters]

Intersects the center of the image, or do you mean of the light source?

Drawing a line between the sun and the lens flare it caused, the line crosses the center of the image.

It's also worth googling "one day old moon" for photos that show you just how dim the moon is when it is almost new. I don't think the unilluminated part is ever visible before sunset.

 

[russ_watters]

Here's one I took of the moon and Venus:

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

Drawing a line between the sun and the lens flare it caused, the line crosses the center of the image.

It's also worth googling "one day old moon" for photos that show you just how dim the moon is when it is almost new. I don't think the unilluminated part is ever visible before sunset.

Ok. I understand your point about flares.

And yes, I know the moon is not supposed to be so visible when it's almost new or right after.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

Here's one I took of the moon and Venus:

Haha. Great photo. Which one is Venus? Behind the tree? Above and to the left of the moon?

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

Here's one I took of the moon and Venus:

When and where was this taken?

 

[russ_watters]

When and where was this taken?

The "where" is Norristown, PA, but I have no idea about the "when" -- at least 10 years ago. I could probably figure it out if you are really curious, but I doubt if I have the original.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

The "where" is Norristown, PA, but I have no idea about the "when" -- at least 10 years ago. I could probably figure it out if you are really curious, but I doubt if I have the original.

It's ok. Not necessary. I'm more interested in knowing which of those lights is Venus.

 

[russ_watters]

It's ok. Not necessary. I'm more interested in knowing which of those lights is Venus.

The bright one in the tree is Venus. The date was January 20, 2007.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

The bright one in the tree is Venus. The date was January 20, 2007.

Cool. Thank you.

 

[ogg]

The Air Force's 'Blue Book' reportedly (I've not read it) pointed out that virtually all UFO sightings by credible witnesses were reported days or months after the event. There is study after study proving that memory is malleable. I'd suggest that those facts should be factored into our answers & in addition the statement by OP that she continues to damage her eyes because either she doesn't accept scientific fact or thinks it doesn't apply to her (due to magic, I suppose). I agree that we should show respect for any OP, especially one such as this who appears quite sincere. The facts (not explicitly made) seem to be that she saw this "full moon by the Sun" first & then took a photo. She needs to confirm that (does she have some record of it happening? tweet a friend? post it? etc.) without relying on her (fallable) memory. (My memory is no doubt worse, fwiw, but we all "know" what we know, even if we're factually wrong...). Any problematic digital pic may have a software cause, I've not seen that discussed. Also the answer that it is lens flare directly contradicts her claim of seeing it herself (assuming normal eyes). Repeating that explanation isn't productive (since if it is true, then she is bearing false witness & if not true isn't useful.)

 

[ogg]

Jessica, with all due respect: smoking a cigarette has no DISCERNABLE (perceptable) health effect. It does NOT follow that if you can't see the damage, that there is no damage. Every moment your eyes are exposed to direct unfiltered sunlight, your eyes are damaged. This is not something that a wise person would argue isn't true because their vision is 20/20 and they've been doing it for years. (That makes no sense, at all: its an apples and oranges argument). Do not stare into the Sun, and in an ideal world if you go out into the sun, wear sunglasses, at the very least avoid directly looking at the Sun, ever. The health effects are well established, there is no "safe" level of UV exposure for your eyes. I am posting this (off topic), because I have some hope you will benefit from it, I don't mean to offend.

 

[Jessica Ann Yost]

The Air Force's 'Blue Book' reportedly (I've not read it) pointed out that virtually all UFO sightings by credible witnesses were reported days or months after the event. There is study after study proving that memory is malleable. I'd suggest that those facts should be factored into our answers & in addition the statement by OP that she continues to damage her eyes because either she doesn't accept scientific fact or thinks it doesn't apply to her (due to magic, I suppose). I agree that we should show respect for any OP, especially one such as this who appears quite sincere. The facts (not explicitly made) seem to be that she saw this "full moon by the Sun" first & then took a photo. She needs to confirm that (does she have some record of it happening? tweet a friend? post it? etc.) without relying on her (fallable) memory. (My memory is no doubt worse, fwiw, but we all "know" what we know, even if we're factually wrong...). Any problematic digital pic may have a software cause, I've not seen that discussed. Also the answer that it is lens flare directly contradicts her claim of seeing it herself (assuming normal eyes). Repeating that explanation isn't productive (since if it is true, then she is bearing false witness & if not true isn't useful.)

"she continues to damage her eyes because either she doesn't accept scientific fact or thinks it doesn't apply to her (due to magic, I suppose)."

You can talk to me about me. Thanks. Do you, or anyone you know, take prescription or over the counter drugs? You know, everyone who takes them, is experimenting with their own body.. not understanding how bad the side effects can affect them over time? I read the small print.

Sure, memory is malleable. It is, especially, for people who pack all kinds of information into their minds at once. I have no problem admitting there's a possibility that I may have remembered incorrectly. There's always a possibility, but I have seen with my eyes, the fullish moon, with the sun out high in the sky, nearby. For now, i'll say, if I see that again, i'll try to get a better picture. I didn't agree that it is lens flare. I saw the point someone else was trying to make about it looking like lens flare. Try again.. right? I have all year.

Btw, magic and science are not much different. ;) Every body is not the same. Everybody experiments. I keep looking for the permanent imprint of the sun I'm supposed to get from looking at the sun, but it always goes away quickly.