Astro Photographer captures stunning composite image of longest partial lunar eclipse in 500 years

We’ve featured the incredible astrophotography of Andrew McCarthy before, but this time he may have even outdone himself! He recently posted a composite image of the longest partial lunar eclipse in 500 years, and the result is stunning.

Andrew explains that the image combines shots taken by two separate telescopes, creating incredibly detailed photos of each stage of the eclipse. The images were then composited together, using a total of 7 HDR images to complete the final shot.

McCarthy apparently planned the shot back in May during the last total lunar eclipse, but he was unfortunately not located in a place where he could see the entire thing. This time, in Arizona, he was able to witness the entire sequence. The final composite photo, titled An Evening in the Shadows, has a full-size resolution of 356-megapixels.

He shared some behind-the-scenes images on his Instagram feed:

McCarthy was up shooting until around 4 am to get these shots. “How gorgeous is our planet,” he says, “that even our shadow is so stunning?” I have to agree, especially after seeing McCarthy’s beautiful image, totally worth staying up all night for!