Stunning Photograph Shows The Moon Being Surrounded By A Celestial Rainbow

This amazing photograph of the moon surrounded by a multi-coloured halo of light was captured by Italian photographer Alberto Ghizzi Panizza and has now gone viral online.

Panizza captured the image of the phenomena known as 'luna corona' from his home in Parma, Italy during lockdown. Luna corona occurs when light reflecting off of the moon from the sun is divided by water particles in the Earth's atmosphere.

Panizza, who says he had witnessed the phenomena on many occasions but had never been able to capture it, said he photographed the moon for over 2 hours to get the perfect image. The final photograph he shared online shows an almost entirely clear sky with a bright full moon surrounded by a halo. The image is so detailed that the moon's craters can be clearly made out. No editing or photoshopping of the image took place.

A post shared by Alberto Ghizzi Panizza (@albertoghizzipanizza)

The 45-year-old told reporters:

"I have seen this phenomenon several times, but I had never been able to photograph it. This time, seeing it from home for the lockdown, I had with me all the necessary equipment to best capture this moment. Between 10pm and 12am I took a few hundred photos of the moon that created halos, iridescences and crowns among clouds and veils."

Luna coronas occur when the clouds are thin enough to see the moon clearly but significant enough to divide each ray of light going from the moon to the eye of the observer. In many ways, it is a celestial equivalent of a rainbow, which we see when light from the sun is divided by falling water or rain. The fact that the clouds must be a perfect size, and the sky must be clear in order to see the luna corona, means that seeing one is not very common at all. During lockdown, Panizza was able to set up his high-powered equipment to get the perfect shot.

Panizza, who is a photographer by trade, shares much of his work online via his Instagram account which now has well over 30,000 followers. His other work includes animals, landscapes and surreal images.

h/t: Daily Mail