PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES ALL THE AMAZING COLOURS OF THE MOON AFTER 10 YEARS OF WORK

Astronomy has always been a passion of Marcella Pace, an Italian primary school teacher. Her interest in astrophotography was sparked by this, and over the years, NASA has featured her images as an Astronomy Photo of the Day and shortlisted her for the esteemed Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards. Her photo of 48 vibrant moons in particular has drawn a lot of attention to her. The piece, which compiles ten years' worth of photos, is truly amazing. 

Pace tells media outlet My Modern Met, "I had a lot of time to look back through my old images during the lockdown because I spent quite a bit of time at home." As I went through my old pictures, I made the decision to select every full moon I had captured on camera since I first started using a digital one. The 48 photos that had interesting colouration or were taken when the moon was rising or setting due to atmospheric scattering were the ones I selected.

Therefore, Pace is careful to point out that while the final composite shows work completed over a decade, it doesn't take that long to photograph so many different hues of the moon. You can see all the different colours it takes on as it ascends through the layers of the atmosphere in a recent photo taken at moonrise.

Although Pace has won accolades for many of her shots, her vibrant composite in particular has gained popularity. It has been making the rounds on the internet ever since it was chosen as November 2020's NASA Astronomy Photo of the Day. Pace explains, "There's something magnetic about the photo and I get compliments about it from all over the world." 

“It's really important to me that this photo carries a message of respect for all forms of life. To live in harmony we need to be aware that it's not just fellow man that is our neighbour, but that all forms of life are on this eternal path with us. It's a path that isn't a circle with man at the centre, but a spiral that is constantly evolving.”