Arctic moon in the polar night
Taken by Andreas Walker on December 5, 2025 @
Vikran, Norway
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Date Taken: 2025:12:12 10:14:46
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Details:
Almost everyone is familiar with the midnight sun, which does not set in summer. Less well known is the December full moon, which travels parallel to the horizon at midday north of the Arctic Circle during the polar night and also does not set. However, this is much more difficult to visualize, as the moon only stays up for a few days. The biggest challenge was the weather, as you need at least one day of clear skies during this time. In addition, the horizon in the north must be very flat so that the moon does not disappear behind a mountain.
After 13 hours, I had to start all over again because the sky was covered again. It was very hard work. Within 60 hours (with very little sleep), I took a few multiple exposures of the winter full moon. Then the moon sank below the horizon again. This year was very well suited for this project, as the winter full moon reached its 18-year peak.
The photo consists of individual images that were superimposed using Photoshop and Lightroom. A total of 25 moons are visible in the image, as the moon moves retrograde and rose about an hour later after one day. A green aurora is visible in the image, which also appeared during these shots.
After three attempts over a period of almost 20 years, I finally managed to capture this image!
To do so, I traveled from Switzerland to the far north (approx. 2500 kilometers). The full moon orbit was photographed on December 5/6 in Vikran, approx. 14 kilometers southwest of Tromsø (northern Norway).
Photographer's website:
https://www.meteobild.ch
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