Last Night's 'Ember Moon' Captured Over Santa Barbara

The skies over Santa Barbara last night offered a rare and breathtaking spectacle: a moon tinged with a deep, fiery red. This stunning celestial event, dubbed the "Ember Moon," was caused by the significant smoke in the atmosphere resulting from nearby Gifford Fires.

The photographer captured this incredible image using a Canon EOS Rebel T6 attached to a Nexstar 6SE telescope. The settings for this single exposure were ISO 3200 at 1/25th second. As the photographer emphasizes, the intense redness of the moon is not a result of over-saturation but the actual color observed due to the smoky conditions, much like how smoke can create vibrant sunsets.

For those interested in the raw data and more perspectives of this unique lunar event, you can view the unedited RAW photos and additional shots here:

While it shares a visual similarity with a Blood Moon, the cause is distinctly different – atmospheric smoke rather than a lunar eclipse. The proposed name, "Ember Moon," beautifully encapsulates the warm, smoldering hue it displayed. What do you think this kind of moon should be called?