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I was cleaning my lens in the garage last week and saw the moon like it was in my backyard | Astronomy Photos - Vivisector

wren230•7mo ago

I was cleaning my lens in the garage last week and saw the moon like it was in my backyard

I was wiping dust off my old camera lens under the fluorescent light, not even thinking about it, when I held it up and the full moon just filled the whole viewfinder. For a second it felt like I could reach out and touch the craters, not like it was 238,900 miles away. Has anyone else had a simple moment like that just flip a switch in your head?

4 comments

4 Comments

williamw757mo ago

Honestly cleaning in the garage is fine if you're just careful about it.

scott.olivia5mo ago

Got a buddy who learned this the hard way last spring. He was all proud of himself for finally cleaning his old Canon lens after a dusty hike, set up in his garage with a shop light. Wiped it down with a microfiber cloth and thought it was spotless. Took it out the next morning to shoot some sunrise shots and every single photo had these tiny little specks in the corners. He spent the next hour in his kitchen with a flashlight and a blower trying to fix it, lesson learned. Dust in a garage is like glitter, you think you got it all but it's everywhere.

lucasw847mo ago

That's a cool moment, but just a heads up, you probably shouldn't clean lenses under garage lights. All that dust floating in the air just sticks to the wet glass. I do mine at the kitchen table with the overhead fan off, way less chance of getting new gunk on it right after wiping.

jana6727mo ago

Ever have a friend describe something so clearly you feel like you were there? My buddy was fixing a tripod in his dark driveway, complaining about a loose screw, when he looked up and the Milky Way was just sitting there, clear as anything. He said it was like the sky just opened up, no camera needed. Good tip from @lucasw84 about the dust, my friend learned that the hard way too.