The near-full moon appears perfectly framed under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in the photo selected by NASA for the website. Astronomy Picture of the Day this Wednesday (26). While the result was a bit of luck being in the spot at the right time, it also took a lot of skill.
Photographer Stefano Zanarello tells on his Instagram page that he lives in Italy, but was lucky enough to be in Paris the day the image was taken. But he also planned everything with Photopills, an application that helps visualize the position of stars like the Sun and the Moon in different locations.
It was also necessary to plan in advance the camera settings, such as exposure time, lighting, relative brightness, among other details. Also, some digital processing ensures better image quality.
For the composition, the photographer used two clicks of his camera, one for the Arc de Triomphe and the other for the Moon, at the exact moment when it appeared “fitted” in the curve of the arch. That’s because, for our natural satellite, a different ISO setting was needed, or the result would be a blurry Moon.
Finally, it was also necessary to measure the exact distance needed between the camera and the Arc; otherwise, the Moon might appear too small or too large in relation to the Napoleonic monument.
It is not the first time that the Moon appears below the Arc de Triomphe in a similar way, in addition to other photos with different angles in the same scenario. This image, however, is incredible enough to serve as a postcard of the city.
Source: ETC
