Image Credit: Matthew Peters
Special thanks to Matthew Peters from the Alachua Astronomy Club for sharing his expertise and contributing his valuable experience to the creation of this tutorial.
A total lunar eclipse is one of the most breathtaking events in astronomy. With the DWARFLAB Smart Telescope, you can observe and record every stage with ease. This detailed tutorial guides you through preparation, setup, imaging, and tips to get the most out of your DWARF 2/3 experience.
1. Preparation Before the Eclipse
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🔋Charge your DWARF 2/3 and mobile device fully. Consider a power bank for long sessions. With an A/C outlet, a long USB-C cable allows for all night operation
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📲Update the DWARFLAB App and firmware before the night of the eclipse.
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📍Choose a site with a clear horizon and minimal light pollution. (Use apps like Stellarium, or check timeanddate.com in advance to note the eclipse's timing and position.)
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🦾Set up your tripod on stable, level ground.
2. Quick Setup in the DWARFLAB App
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Mount the DWARF 2/3 securely on its tripod.
Notes:
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Power on the unit and connect via Wi-Fi to the DWARFLAB app.
- Locate the Moon and Focus: Face the lenses approximately towards the moon , then use **dual-lenses locating** or the joystick to center the moon in the tele photo view. Then, switch to the telephoto lens and click auto-focus. Dwarf will automatically detect the moon and apply the best settings (brightness) for it.
**Dual Lenses Locating**: Switch to and double-click the wide-angle view moves the green frame indicator (telephoto view). This feature allows you to locate and quickly focus on objects in the wide-angle lens, like birds in the backyard, pedestrians on the street, or celestial bodies in deep space.
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Tracking and Choose Shooting Mode: Enable "Function-Moon Track" in the App. The telescope will automatically follow the Moon's movement, keeping it centered in the frame, allowing continuous observation or shooting videos/time-lapses/stacked photos after changing shooting mode to Photo/Video/Burst/Time-lapse/Astro.
- Adjust Parameters and Shoot: During auto-focus, the camera auto-adjusts the suitable parameters, if you may know, typically at 1/250s - 1/200s exposure, gain at 0, and VIS filter. Do adjust hue and WB as preferred. If you want to manually focus, you can use two fingers to zoom in on the screen, and then manually adjust the number of the focus steps until the image appears sharp to you.
- Press 'shoot' to take your first moon photo!
The above is the complete process for taking pictures of the Moon. You can practice it a few times in advance to familiarize yourself with the shooting process.
Here's a summary of shooting steps:
3. What Parameters/Modes Should I Use for Lunar Eclipse
During the lunar eclipse, the Moon’s brightness will dim. We strongly recommend adjusting the shutter based on your weather conditions and personal preference. Typically, longer exposure times are needed, sometimes reaching 0.5–2s, while keeping the gain at 0 to reduce noise.
If you want to switch to other shooting modes, such as time-lapse photography, you can do so after successfully tracking the Moon and adjusting the parameters. Simply click to switch modes, then start capturing.
Recommended Parameters
Source: National Geographic/The effect of this image is not ideal; the Moon in the partial phase should actually looks a bit dimmer than in the penumbral phase.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon gradually darkens and may even appear deep red, so the exposure time needs to be longer than during a full moon.
1. Penumbral Phase: The Moon remains relatively bright. Recommended settings: Exposure 1/500s - 1/250s, Gain 0.
2. Partial to Total Phase: The brightness decreases. Recommended settings: Exposure 1/100s - 1s, Gain 0.
3. Totality Phase: The Moon is at its darkest. Recommended settings: Exposure 0.5s - 2s, Gain 0 or slightly increased if necessary.
*White Balance: Adjust hues to highlight the natural colors of the Moon or enhance the reddish tone during the Blood Moon phase.
A data visualization depicting a telescopic view of the Moon during the progression of the March 2025 total lunar eclipse. Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
Recommended Shooting Modes
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Time-Lapse Mode
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Ideal for capturing the entire eclipse process.
- Set intervals and duration.
An example calculation: a 5-second interval with a 10-minute shooting duration results in 120 frames (600 seconds / 5 seconds), creating a 4-second video at 30 fps (frames per second). Ignore it if you hate math and follow the table below to apply duration and intervals. -
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Burst Mode
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Use for capturing specific moments like the transition into the red phase (Blood Moon).
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Configure short intervals (1-5 seconds) for rapid image capture.
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Set the time interval (from 1s to 60s) and the number taken in this set of pictures. Note that there's a brief delay in saving photos after hitting stop on taking the burst. So it might take some time for the photos to show up in the album.
The change of interval settings during a shooting session will take effect to make sure you get a better record of a whole imaging process saying totality.
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Video Mode
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Record dynamic footage of the Moon's movement during the eclipse.
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Ensure sufficient storage space for extended recording. (64GB is enough for 3-4 hours of 4K full frame footage)
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Tips for Capturing Special Phenomena
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Increase exposure and adjust white balance to emphasize the reddish tone.
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Use Time-Lapse mode to catch the transition into and out of the red phase.
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Familiarize yourself with the telescope's features and App interface by practicing on a full Moon or similar celestial objects.
The following table contains parameter and mode recommendations from experienced astrophotographers Matthew Peters.
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Phase
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Recommended Settings
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🌑Penumbral Phase (subtle shading)
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Mode: Photo
Exposure: Auto (~5–10ms)
Gain: Auto
Tip: Take reference shots for comparison.
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🌘Partial Eclipse (shadow appears)
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Mode: Photo/Video/Time-Lapse
Exposure: Auto
Gain: Auto – Adjust as totality nears
Tip: Capture photos at different gains to preference
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🌕Total Eclipse (Blood Moon)
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Mode: Astro
Exposure: 1 – 5s
Gain: 0-60
Frames: 20–30
White Balance: Around 4900
Tip: Use longer exposure to capture stars near the moon.
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🌔Exit Phase (Moon brightens)
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Mode: Photo
Exposure: Auto (~5–20 ms)
Gain: Auto
Capture the shadow retreating.
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4. Tips For Pro Work
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🎥Time-Lapse: Use Video → Time-lapse with 30–60s intervals for a complete eclipse sequence.
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🌓Bracketing: For partial phases, capture multiple exposures to blend later.
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🔍Refocus: Adjust using MANUAL focus buttons – will be needed frequently.
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📌Re-center: If drift occurs, end current tracking, gently re-center the luna and tap "Moon Track" again to correct.
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✨Stacking: Ideal for reducing noise & adding details during totality. Limit to 20-30 frames.
5. After the Eclipse
All images and videos are stored in the DWARF app. You can share directly, export stacked images for advanced editing with software like PixInsight or Lightroom, or keep the built-in time-lapse as a complete record of the event.
⭐Quick Takeaway
• Use Auto for bright stages.
• Switch to Astro mode to stack (1s, Gain 0-60) during totality (blood moon phase). Try different levels.
• Enjoy the Eclipse😄 — DWARF 2/3 handles the tracking and stacking for you.
🧵Fun Facts
You should know that a lunar eclipse never appears alone. Typically, 14 days after a lunar eclipse, when the Moon reaches from earth's back to between the Earth and the Sun, a solar eclipse occurs. On Sep.21, residents in the Austrilia continent will be blessed with another solar eclipse!
🍉Video Tutorial on Lunar Eclipse
If you are more of a visual person, you can find more great video tutorials on lunar eclipses on our page. Be sure to follow us on social media for the latest updates and cosmic inspiration.
✨Instagram: @dwarflab🌟Facebook: DWARF LAB
Look forward to exploring the wonders of the universe with you ☆
Credit: @dwarflab