Capturing an analemma of the Moon isn’t easy. These figure-8 designs are most often seen when a photographer captures the position of the Sun at the same time each day for a year. But, with the Moon, things are a bit trickier, as the Moon returns to the same position in the sky around 50 minutes and 29 seconds later each day.
Despite this trickiness, one photographer captured images of the Moon over the course of two months as it traveled across the sky each day, showcasing the various locations where Earth’s satellite could be seen. The photo even showcases its different phases across the captured time period.
What’s even more exciting about astrophotographer Betul Turksoy’s image, though, is that it actually showcases a double lunar analemma. The image was so striking that it was featured as NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day on October 10, 2022. And now, almost two years later, it’s still leaving people’s mouths agape in awe.
Turksoy captured the images of the Moon over Kayseri, Turkey, during July and August. The photographer set the images against a backdrop of orange, red, and pink twilight, which helps to create an even more stunning appearance that lures the viewer in.
Astrophotographers like Turksoy continue to deliver amazing visuals of the Moon and the stars, and this double analemma of the Moon is just the latest in an inspiring batch that we’ve seen, including 2022’s “most detailed photo of the Moon ever” captured by Andrew McCarthy.
You can see even more of Turksoy’s work on the photographer’s Instagram and other social media accounts. Analemmas are considered one of the most difficult and time-consuming ventures in astrophotography. And since the Moon’s position changes even more each day than the Sun does, this double analemma of the Moon stands in a class of its own.
