Moonset with Mirage

“Moonset with Mirage”
September 7, 2025
Albany, Missouri
I went for the Moonset and stayed for the Mirage. Atmospheric conditions were just right earlier in the month on September 7, 2025, with layers of warm and cold air producing remarkable mirages on the horizon visible telescopically to the west of Albany, Missouri. I have posted about these before, but the view on September 7 was quite phenomenal.
From Albany, Missouri, I was even able to see Conception Abbey, a distance of approximately 18 miles as the crow flies. See Facebook link. There was quite a bit of haze in the air, so the view was muted somewhat. I used a 500mm telephoto lens to capture the moon and the mirage.
Believe it or not, the Abbey's towers sometimes appeared stretched above the horizon, thinning into indistinct shapes and blobs. Under normal conditions, the Abbey is invisible from Albany, Missouri. These atmospheric phenomena effectively allowed me to see beyond the horizon.
The moon in these images is not red because of the recent eclipse. It’s just red because it is low on the horizon.

Please see my Facebook page for more images of this event, including the Abbey.

Nikon D750 with 200-500mm f/7.1-8 Lens at 500mm
ISO 100-640 with 1/50 - 10-Second Exposure
Tripod-mounted

Processed in Lightroom -> Photoshop
Light processing was used. No image manipulation.