Italian primary school teacher and astrophotographer Marcella Giulia Pace has created a remarkable lunar composite that took a decade to complete. Her work, which showcases the different colors of the full Moon, has been recognized internationally and featured in prestigious awards like the Astronomy Photographer of the Year, organized by the Royal Museums Greenwich.
Pace’s passion for astronomy, mountains, and optical illusions is evident in her stunning astrophotography. Over ten years, she captured a diverse set of full Moon shots, bringing them together in a single, striking composite. This masterpiece highlights the many different faces, colors, and shapes of Earth’s only natural satellite.
The Science Behind the Colors
“The atmosphere gives different colors to our satellite (scattering) based on its height with respect to the horizon, based on the presence of humidity, or suspended dust,” Pace explains. The Moon’s appearance changes due to the Earth’s atmosphere, which scatters light differently depending on various factors such as the Moon’s position, humidity levels, and the presence of dust.
“The shape of the Moon also changes: at the bottom of the horizon, refraction compresses the lunar disk at the poles and makes it look like an ellipse. And this is one of the reasons why I have chosen to present my Full Moons through a spiral arrangement that ends with a lunar eclipse,” she adds. This spiral arrangement not only showcases the different colors but also the varying shapes of the Moon.
The process of gathering all these different full Moon shots was a labor of love for Pace. She meticulously cataloged the images by color and rearranged them in a palette by color gradation and shade for a visually stunning result.
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Pace elaborates that while it may seem the Moon itself changes colors, it is actually the Earth’s atmosphere that affects its appearance. “A red or yellow colored moon usually indicates a moon seen near the horizon.
There, some of the blue light has been scattered away by a long path through the Earth’s atmosphere, sometimes laden with fine dust. A blue-colored moon is more rare and can indicate a moon seen through an atmosphere carrying larger dust particles. What created the purple moon is unclear — it may be a combination of several effects,” NASA writes in a piece discussing Pace’s composite.
“Above all, therefore, it is a low atmosphere that generates the most varied colors,” Pace writes. “In fact, it is in the lower atmosphere that powders are deposited on which, according to their size, scattering acts by spreading some colors of the spectrum and making others penetrate.”
Throughout the ten years she spent documenting full Moon photos, Pace used different camera models and settings to capture the perfect shots. Despite the varying tools, she remained committed to staying true to what she saw, avoiding significant modifications to her photos.
In her detailed blog post, Pace shares the specific locations she chose and the shooting conditions of the original Moon photos. She also addresses frequently asked questions about her astrophotography process, providing insight into the meticulous work behind her stunning composite.
Pace’s work has not only earned her international recognition but also inspired many aspiring astrophotographers. Her dedication to capturing the beauty of the Moon in its many forms has contributed significantly to the field of astrophotography.
