Red Moonrise

Only two days before the 2008 summer solstice, which marks the northernmost point of the Sun’s annual motion through our sky, the Full Moon nearest the solstice rose close to the ecliptic plane opposite the Sun, near its southernmost point for the year. In this telephoto view the Moon rises above the first modern Television Tower of Stuttgart, built in 1956. As described by the photographer “Not by accident, but by approximation, I suspected the Moon would rise near the old television tower from my photography location, Gruener Heiner, a very small mountain (only 70 meters high) in Weilimdorf, near Stuttgart. The Moon crossed the horizon line somewhat more in the north, but it moved exactly above the tower. It was the beginning of the very shortest full Moon night of the year, because of the very low declination of the Moon. I had even more luck, because the haze at the horizon made the Moon shining in red and yellow light. As well, the Moonlight was dimmed, so I could manage a landscape shot in the dark. Even then I had to make an exposure bracketing: a series of five images with different exposure times to handle the huge dynamic of the scene. I combined the five images with different exposures to one High Dynamic Image (HDI). Usually some romantic people are walking to the top of the hill where I photographed. They come to watch the Sunset. I told them to stay because of the upcoming Moonrise. Those who stayed were more than happy for such celestial experience!”