Two photographers snapped a picture of the moon out of this world: NPR

It took astrophotographers Andrew McCarthy and Connor Mathern more than nine months to edit their final image. It consists of more than 200,000 shots put together to make a single image.

Andrew McCarthy and Conor Mathern

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Andrew McCarthy and Conor Mathern

It took astrophotographers Andrew McCarthy and Connor Mathern more than nine months to edit their final image. It consists of more than 200,000 shots put together to make a single image.

Andrew McCarthy and Conor Mathern

Two astrophotographers collaborated to produce an out-of-this-world image of the Moon, capturing more than 200,000 frames to create a single image.

Andrew McCarthy And the Conor Mathern I collaborated last November to push their photography skills to the limits. Their final product was posted online on Saturday, and it’s currently getting a lot of attention reddit.

Stargazers first contacted Reddit and then Instagram, sharing and commenting on each other’s work over the past three or four years. After learning about each other’s strengths in photography, they decide to collaborate together to take a picture of Earth’s moon.

“When we put our heads together, we were able to make something off-brand for both of us, which is pretty cool,” McCarthy told NPR. “Everything is assembled like a mosaic, and each tile is made up of thousands of images.”

McCarthy said he specializes in detailed imagery, taking tens of thousands of photos to capture geographical features on the moon’s surface. Matheren, who prefers taking deep space photos, specializes in color.

Over the course of one evening, McCarthy took more than 200,000 detailed photos of the moon from Arizona, while Mathern took another 500 photos from Louisiana to capture color data. They combined their work by stacking images on top of each other to create a detailed image of the moon in stunning colour.

“Andrew was just aiming for detail while I was just aiming for the color side,” Mathern said. “That allowed us to have a full moon.”

To capture all the color and detail on the moon’s surface, Andrew McCarthy and Connor Mathern focused on different aspects of their photography. McCarthy took more than 200,000 photos, focusing on the details of the moon, and Mathern took another 500 photos to capture the vibrant colors.

Andrew McCarthy and Conor Mathern

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Andrew McCarthy and Conor Mathern

To capture all the color and detail on the moon’s surface, Andrew McCarthy and Connor Mathern focused on different aspects of their photography. McCarthy took more than 200,000 photos, focusing on the details of the moon, and Mathern took another 500 photos to capture the vibrant colors.

Andrew McCarthy and Conor Mathern

They spent the next nine months bouncing off the edits and ideas for each other about the edits, using photo editing software to help produce the best photo possible.

Matherne and McCarthy said that while their work is technical, it’s not beyond the reach of other photography enthusiasts. All that is needed is a camera, tripod and star tracker. Aspiring star photographers can take their work to the next level by purchasing a telescope, but the two said it’s best to develop basic photographic skills before taking the next step.

But astrophotography is not as simple as pointing and shooting. One of the hardest parts of the job, McCarthy said, is being patient.

Successful photography relies heavily on clear skies and limited light pollution. Most nights, McCarthy walks away empty-handed, but that makes successful shots all the more meaningful.

“If you can’t handle that, you’re not going to get to the point where you get these great photos,” he said. “Anyone can do it, but it takes a special mood.”