Astrophotographer Josh Dury captured an ethereal view of February’s full Snow Moon as it rose to flood the night sky with icy light on Feb. 1
February’s full moon is often called the Snow Moon — a name rooted in the heavy snowfall that’s common in the Northern Hemisphere around this time of year.
Dury snapped the full snow moon during a brief break in February’s stubborn cloud cover, with the delicate outlines of snowdrops silhouetted in the foreground by the moon’s silvery light. Dark lunar seas are visible across the moon’s ancient surface, streaked with reflective debris cast out in the creation of young impact craters.
“This was the third and final attempt in capturing the composition due to poor weather prospect,” Dury explained to Space.com. “With snowdrops and the snow moon signalling the early call of nature from winter into spring, [it] is a voice from nature itself and timed around the first quarter day, Imbolc. For only moments on 1st February did the sky clear to capture this image.”
Read more: February’s full moon dazzles skywatchers worldwide with a glistening ‘Snow Moon’
Dury captured the scene using a Sony A7S III camera with a Sigma 150-600mm Sport Telephoto Lens, stabilized on a Benro Tortoise Tripod. He then stacked separate images into a final composite that preserves sharp detail in both the silhouetted foreground and the lunar surface.
If this image inspires you to try lunar photography yourself, check out our expert guide to imaging the lunar surface, along with our our picks of the best cameras and lenses for immortalizing the post-sunset sky.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
