A Celestial Surprise: The 2025 Full Corn Moon Emerges from the Clouds

Astrophotography often rewards patience, but sometimes, it delivers pure, unexpected magic. That's precisely what happened during the recent Full Corn Moon of 2025, resulting in a truly unique and mesmerizing capture.

The Shot: A Dual-Exposure Masterpiece

This particular image is a two-shot composite, meticulously crafted to showcase both the ethereal glow of the moon and the dramatic texture of the clouds. Here's a breakdown of the technical details:

• For the Clouds: ISO 500, 200mm focal length, f/5 aperture, and a shutter speed of 1/3 second. This setting allowed for ample light to capture the cloud detail.
• For the Full Moon: ISO 1600, an impressive 800mm focal length (achieved with a Nikon Z8 and NIKKOR Z 100-400MM + 2x Teleconverter), and a fast shutter speed of 1/800 second. This combination ensured a sharp, well-exposed moon.

The Unexpected Element: Crepuscular Rays

What elevates this image from a beautiful moon shot to something truly extraordinary is the appearance of crepuscular rays. These rays of sunlight, which appear to radiate from a single point in the sky, are typically seen when the sun is low on the horizon and partially obscured by clouds. In this case, the moon found a perfect moment to peek through the clouds, creating these momentary, luminous beams.

It's one of those rare occurrences that leaves you in awe. As the photographer put it, "I'm not even sure how this happened but has to be the luckiest shot I've ever taken where the moon peaked through the clouds just right to create momentary crepuscular rays."

Post-Processing and Reference Material

After capturing these two distinct exposures, the image was brought to life through careful processing and stacking in Adobe Photoshop. The goal was to seamlessly blend the two images, highlighting the best of both worlds.

For those interested in the technical aspects, the raw files and a setup photo were provided for reference, allowing fellow astrophotographers to study the workflow and equipment used.

This shot serves as a beautiful reminder that sometimes, the most stunning celestial events are the ones we don't anticipate. The 2025 Full Corn Moon, with its unexpected dance of light and shadow, will undoubtedly be a memorable capture for years to come.