Nasa awards ‘Astronomy Picture of the Day’ to Italian photographer’s shot of moon

A one-in-a-million shot of the moon by a photographer from the Italian city of Turin has been awarded “Astronomy Picture of the Day” for Christmas 2023 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa). 

Valerio Minato snapped a magnificent photo of the moon, perfectly aligned with the Basilica of Superga’s dome, located in the vicinity of Turin, and the tip of Monviso, also known as Monte Viso, the highest mountain of the Cottian Alps.

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Minato shared that he had the idea for this photo in 2017 and since then his obsession to capture the moon together with the cathedral and the mountain in the same shot began.

He also revealed that it took him six years to get the perfect shot.

“The secret? Changing perspective and knowing how to wait.”

While speaking to Corriere Torino, a Turin-based news agency, Minato said: “I have been shooting since 2012, first in Turin, then in the surrounding area, to view the city from different points and distances. At a certain point I started looking for the point to have the dome of Superga and Monviso perfectly aligned.

“I spotted it in 2017 on a hill in the Chivassese area between San Raffaele Cimena and Castagneto Po, a 40-minute drive away. Since then the obsession was to have them both framed by a celestial body.”

Minato meticulously studied the moon’s phases, horizon position, and weather to a tenth of a degree of precision for the shot.

He said that the moon, once a year, is set “exactly there with a circular appearance, in this case, the crescent half illuminated and the other highlighted by the ashen light of reflection”.

He further shared that the weather on that day, for five years, was cloudy and on December 15, just before 7pm, he was finally able to take the shot.

While some netizens appreciated his work on his Facebook page and thanked him for showing them Turin “with new eyes”, many also accused him of using “photomontages or artificial intelligence”.

He responded to these accusations: “We must not get the idea that only technology can now surprise us. Sometimes technique, patience and a spirit of observation are enough.”

He added: “We must continue on our own path, certain that in the community of photographers, there are still people capable of appreciating authenticity. A thoughtful and prepared photo will win over any artificial product.”