Stunning image shows the moon surrounded by a celestial rainbow

Photographer Alberto Ghizzi Panizza managed to capture a picture of a rare celestial rainbow that appeared around the moon after a number of previous missed opportunities.

The 45-year-old photographer was at his home near the northern Italian city of Parma when he spotted the rare phenomenon, which is known as lunar corona.

It occurs when light reflecting off the moon’s surface is split by water particles or ice crystals in the air, and appears as a circular rainbow surrounding the moon.

Panizza has witnessed the phenomenon several times before, but he had never previously been able to photograph it.

After being forced to stay home due to coronavirus lockdowns, the photographer finally had access to everything he needed to capture the moment when he spotted the rainbow again from his home.

Between the hours of 10pm and 12am, Panizza snapped hundreds of photos of the moon in an effort to capture the ‘halos, iridescences and crowns among clouds and veils’.

On Instagram, the photographer explained that the final picture was a ‘blending of a good portion of these shots to emphasize the colors of both the corona and the lunar minerals’.

The image shows the moon appearing bright in the sky, surrounded by wispy clouds, stars and the brilliant colours of lunar corona.

Panizza’s impressive snap has racked up hundreds of likes online, with social media users branding the scene as ‘amazing’.

Unilad