Moonrise Behind the Mittens at Monument Valley (#1)

The nearly Full Moon rising behind the West and East Mittens and Merrick Butte (right) at Monument Valley, on the Arizona/Utah border, on April 3, 2015, on the eve of a total lunar eclipse at dawn 12 hours later. I shot this just before sunset, so the Sun is lighting the buttes. The Moon rose about 30 minutes before sunset so it was up by the time the Sun actually set. Note how the shadows are pointing to but not exactly at the Full Moon, as being well before the total eclipse alignment the Moon was not yet opposite the Sun. This is one frame from a 360-frame time-lapse sequence.

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