Where Earth’s Shadow Rises and the Moon Bows Goodbye

After witnessing the crimson drama of a lunar eclipse, we packed our telescopes and prepared to leave Montezuma Pass. But through the windshield, the sky whispered one more lesson. I stepped out again — this time without the EdgeHD, without the heavy gear — only a cellphone in hand.

Stretching above the mountains was the delicate pink arc known as the Belt of Venus. Beneath it, a deep bluish band — Earth’s shadow itself — rising opposite the Sun. This is the same shadow that had painted the Moon red hours before. Now, at dawn, we see it from the outside: our planet casting its vast silhouette into its own atmosphere.

The rosy glow forms as sunlight scatters through long atmospheric paths, reddened by Rayleigh scattering, then backscattered toward the antisolar horizon. Below it, the darker band marks the true geometric shadow of Earth projected onto the sky. Standing at 6,500 feet above sea level, I watched the Moon quietly set into the mountains — retreating as Earth’s shadow climbed.

From blood moon to blue shadow, the night completed its circle.
Captured in RAW panorama, stitched in PTGui and processed in Photoshop, this image is a reminder: sometimes the most profound astronomy happens after we think the show is over.

Samsung Cellphone

I capture RAW images from phone, Stitched in PTGUI and processed in Photoshop