Stargazer Captures Spectacular View of First Quarter Moon (Photo)

Moon First Quarter Rogus Moon First Quarter Rogus 01182012
Night sky photographer Victor Rogus captured this image of the first quarter moon plus two seconds from Jadwin, Mo. on Jan. 18, 2012. He used a Cannon 60Da camera with a Losmandy G-8 mount, 5 inch Apochromatic refractor, exposure of 1/15 second, ISO 100 and a Baader polarizing filter to take the image. (Image credit: Victor Rogus)

Demonstrating the importance of a carefully-timed photo, one night sky photographer captured a stunning image of the first quarter moon plus two seconds.

Victor Rogus of Jadwin, Mo., snapped this shot of the moon in a wintery Jan. 18 night sky.

"A bit cold and windy here in Jadwin, Missouri, but timing is everything isn't it?" Rogus told SPACE.com via email.  

Rogus used a Cannon 60Da camera with a Losmandy G-8 mount, 5 inch Apochromatic refractor, exposure of 1/15 second, ISO 100 and a Baader polarizing filter to take the image.

The January full moon, or Full Wolf Moon, occurred on Jan. 26 and is so named because Native American lore states this is the month when wolf packs can be heard howling together. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule.

Editor's note: If you snap an amazing photo of the moon, or any other night sky object, that you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send photos, comments and your name and location to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

Follow Space.com on Twitter @SPACEdotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Contributing Writer and Producer

Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.