The lunar eclipse has a rendezvous with the storm: an incredible shot

This is an incredible photograph taken by Maxence Verrier, a photographer who works on the YouTube channel "The Rage of Heaven" on the evening of July 27, 2018. "The picture of a life" he slipped to France Info during an interview. And for good reason, the cliché brings together the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century, the opposition with Mars, at its closest distance from the Earth for 15 years, as well as the lightning plunging to the ground. The photo was taken in Haute-Loire, at exactly 23:04, says the photographer on Facebook.

A flash of less than a second alongside the longest eclipse of the century

Maxence Verrier is a " storm hunter ", who watches for these weather events to photograph them. But the (great) anger of the sky can be dangerous, because even if it is weak, the risk of being struck down is none the less real (Find the list of the councils of Sciences and Avenir for protect yourself from a storm). As for the lunar eclipse, the longest that could be observed during this century (1h43 for the phase of totality, where the Moon is fully immersed in the shadow cone of the Earth), it started at 21:30 for s finish at 23:13. What leave time to prepare his photographic equipment …. In contrast, a flash lasts only 0.2 seconds on average. Which makes Maxence Verrier's cliché all the more incredible

Journey of the Moon in the shadow and shadow cones of the Earth. © Johan Kieken