sunset at the North Pole

sarah64 · #1 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 05:32 PM

I know this is off subject, but someone sent me this amazing image. This is the sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest point (to earth) and you also see the sun below the moon.

NickCantle · #2 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 05:33 PM

Off subject? Just a bit... Nice though

lauriek · #3 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 05:40 PM

I reckon that image is a composite, there's no way the moon is ever that close to the earth...

NickCantle · #4 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 05:58 PM

What about the reflection of the sun on the water? Suspicious?

EDIT: Shut up Nick, you know what ripples do to reflections...you idiot.

RichBrew · #5 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 06:00 PM

I think you have a point, lauriek. The sun and moon are of similar size when viewed from Earth, which is how we observe total solar eclipses. I reckon if the moon were that close, we'd have all sorts of freak weather and tidal havoc.

RichBrew

sarah64 · #6 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lauriek

I reckon that image is a composite, there's no way the moon is ever that close to the earth...

Oops sorry guys, I know nothing of these things and just took it at face value. It didn't occur to me it could be fake. I'll have to check these things out in future!

ChrisJB · #7 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 07:14 PM

An awesome image, but I'm sure a bit of jiggery pokery is going on here!

Regards, Chris

agrumpycow · #8 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarah64

Oops sorry guys, I know nothing of these things and just took it at face value. It didn't occur to me it could be fake. I'll have to check these things out in future!

Don't worry Sarah, I marvelled at the photo before I read the comments and believed it was real too! Regardless of whether it's real or not it's a great picture

thunder · #9 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 08:38 PM

Definitely a composite - and isn't it all icy at the North Pole?

henrya

naturelover · #10 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 08:45 PM

lovely picture,know what i recon someone put their coffee cup down and thought mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

pressld2 · #11 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunder

Definitely a composite - and isn't it all icy at the North Pole?

henrya

I'm sure it is now but there was open water there earlier this year and a bloke went swimming.

Dave P.

C C · #12 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickCantle

What about the reflection of the sun on the water? Suspicious?

EDIT: Shut up Nick, you know what ripples do to reflections...you idiot.

Sorry Nick!! not mocking, but i can't stop giggling

PMG · #13 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 09:34 PM

It looks like Ainsdale beach to me . . .

Jiggery or not its an image that grabs attention

Pauline

lauriek · #14 (**permalink**) 16-10-2007, 12:02 PM

It's a stunning picture!!

In this day and age when nearly everyone has Photoshop or similar you do really have to keep an eye on other peoples photos!!

This was an easy spot, as another poster commented the sun and the moon are nearly exactly the same size when viewed from the earth (which is why we can see the corona when a full solar eclipse occurs). The Sun is obviously many times larger than the moon but its almost the same multiple of distance away. Now obviously both our orbit around the sun and the moons orbit around the earth are ellipses, so the distance between the various bodies does vary to some extent but its quite a small amount, maybe 10-15% at max. So the Sun/Moon should never be more than 10% larger/smaller than the other object. In this image the moon is over 1/3 of the shot where the sun is roughly 1/20th of the shot.

FYI To get an image of the moon that large in the frame, on a 35mm camera would take a telephoto lens in the range 500-600mm, maybe a little more. The image above is a composite of a wide angle image of the sun setting, together with a telephoto image of the crescent moon. It's very nicely put together!!

The North pole comment is a clever bit of social engineering. Had it not been stated then you would have thought, "hey why is the moon so bloomin' enormous", but hardly anyone has been to the N pole so it's easy to think that it could look bigger from there!!