The last Super Moon of 2020 occurred from the 6th of May to the 8th of May 2020
Native American Algonquin tribes called the May full moon flower moon as it marked the change in the season in the Northern Hemisphere, otherwise also known as Mothers Moon, Milk Moon and Corn Planting Moon.
In South Africa, it was most visible Friday 8 May from sunset 18:18 to sunrise 5:59 am and brightest in the early hours of the morning.
A Supermoon occurs when the full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit.
Making the moon appear a little brighter and closer than normal.
The moon shot at 1/60 f/11 Iso 100
Being an event photographer and limited of what to shoot at home during lockdown, I pointed my lens up towards the heavens on a mostly clear Cape Town sky and tried my hand at Astro Photography. In these past 6 weeks, I’ve managed to capture a Lunar Halo, Crescent Moon of Ramadan, A few constellations of stars and the “Flower” Super Moon.
A lunar halo is caused by the refraction, reflection, and dispersion of light through ice particles suspended within thin, wispy, high altitude cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. As light passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22-degree angle, creating a halo 22 degrees in radius.
Shot at 1/15 f/4.5 iso 3200
The stars were shot at 15 sec f/4.0 Iso 400 with a Tamron 70-300mm f/5.6
The clouds starting rolling in later in the night and provided this amazing natural effect from cirrostratus clouds, added a few tints to get a northern lights feel.
When I look at the moon at this unprecedented time in global history, it is a reminder that we’re all under one solar system, we all see the same moon every night. We may not all be in the exact same boat, everyone has different circumstances dealing with different challenges in their own right. But we are most definitely all going through, affected directly or indirectly one way or another by this Pandemic. It is a reminder to unite, unify and assist our fellow human beings in need.
Like the changing of the seasons, which is signified by the phases of the moon, significant to Islam currently in the holy month of Ramadan. Nature and the ever-changing seasons are in a constant eb and flow. With a storm comes bad weather, but bad weather and rough seas only lasts were a certain period of time, afterwards comes clear skies, sunshine, calm waters and the occasional rainbow if we’re lucky to take the time to notice it. Like nature, sun and the moon, everything goes through phases, this too shall pass, we all shall be able to gather again in time and share the boundless beauty of this world together. Until then next time you glance up at the sky at night know that we’re not alone or isolated in this, we can and will get through this as a global collective.
