Lunar Eclipse at Refugio Punta de los Roques

A photo composite of multiple exposures. From the photographer: “In the early hours of May 16th, you were able to listen to an unusual symphony of mobile phone alarms in the cozy cabin of the Refugio Punta de Los Roques in the mountains of La Palma. On an altitude of 2085m / 6840ft where one is mostly independent to the weather conditions – a handful of stargazers hiked to that Refugio to observe that rare event. Unnecessary to highlight the legendary dark sky conditions of La Palma.

For me, it was the first time to catch a lunar eclipse on camera. Actually, it was a Super Blood Moon Eclipse and I had no idea how the conditions would be. Would the Milky Way be visible during Totality? I guess most nightscapers had been at this point before, asking themselves those questions. On that monday morning around 4am it was my turn to find that answers myself and to get some proper images.

This panorama is the first processed image of that night. It’s weird because actually it wasn’t that dark until the eclipse – the full moon was illuminating the scenery and night sky most of the night. But since the moon entered earths shadow, the stars and fine details of a beautiful dark sky reappeared quickly, revealing some breathtaking moments and perfect photography opportunities.”

Technical details: Panorama / Blend, Nikon D810 & AF-S 50mm f/1.8
Panorama: 14x ISO 4000 – f/2 – 8sec, Moon: 1x ISO 320 – f/5 – 5sec