The waxing moon was shot by Penang Astronomical Society member Lim Choon Kiat on Mar 6, using a telescope at Tech Dome, a science discovery centre in Komtar.

Lim now plans to get his shot of the moon into the Malaysia Book of Records.

“The weather had to be clear, and especially when the moon was at its best. This was only one opportunity a year to take a shot like this,” he told reporters at a press conference in Komtar today.

Lim said he first shot a 50-min video using his QHYCCD camera, from which he produced 101 videos.

He explained that the videos shot by the camera were only 2 megapixels in resolution i.e. 1920×1080 with a 135 frames-per-second capability.

But since the camera was attached to a telescope, the resolution was enhanced by nearly 100 times.

The telescope used was a Pixo 16” Officina Stellare, with a focal length of 3,200mm, boosted by a 2x Barlow lens, bringing the focal length to 6,400mm.

From the videos, he took snapshots of frames from various parts of the moon and stitched it together using a special app called AutoStakkert.

The app chooses 20% of the sharpest images within the video and stacks them. Other apps were also used to improve clarity.

Lim said it took him two weeks to assemble the mosaics into one big picture.

The final result was a 20,000 by 10,000 pixel picture, with a file size of nearly 100 gigabytes.

Those interested to view the poster of the moon can visit Tech Dome or visit www.facebook.com/techdomepenang Tech Dome also houses the most powerful telescope in Penang.

Tech Dome Penang was opened on July 16 last year. It is an initiative by the Penang government to create a hub for technology learning and the exchange of ideas.