When Earth Darkens the Moon – 2026 Lunar Eclipse

This image presents a sequence of the partial lunar eclipse of August 27–28, 2026, captured from Marina di Modica, Sicily, Italy. It combines individual exposures taken throughout the eclipse, showing the Moon progressively entering the Earth's shadow, from a nearly full and fully illuminated disk to the deepest phase captured, when more than 96% of the lunar surface was immersed in Earth's shadow.

The sequence visually illustrates the slow movement of the Moon through the Earth's shadow and the changing geometry of the Sun–Earth–Moon system. Rather than showing only the most dramatic moment, the composition aims to tell the story of the entire eclipse as a gradual transition from light to shadow.

The individual lunar images were captured with a Nikon D750 and a Tamron 150–600mm lens at 600mm, and were subsequently processed and composited in Adobe Photoshop.

The images were captured using a Nikon D750 paired with a Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 lens, shooting at 600 mm, f/8, with an exposure time of 1/160 s per frame. The ISO was adjusted according to the different phases and lighting conditions of the lunar eclipse. The individual images were subsequently processed and composited in Adobe Photoshop.

The individual images were processed and composited in Adobe Photoshop. Different exposures were used throughout the sequence to preserve detail on the lunar surface under the changing illumination conditions.

The final composition was carefully balanced to maintain a natural and consistent appearance between the individual stages while clearly showing the progression of the Earth's shadow across the lunar disk.