Nearly-full Moon friends by the arches of Rome’s Colosseum. Photographer captures the spectacle

The rising of the August full Moon, referred to as the Sturgeon Moon, is without doubt one of the most anticipated celestial occasions of this weekend.

And it is fairly a weekend for stargazing, with the Perseid meteor bathe approaching its peak and planets Venus and Jupiter trying fabulous within the pre-dawn sky.

Two nights in the past, astrophotographer Paolo Palma took to the streets exterior the well-known Colosseum in Rome, Italy, the place the nearly-full Moon was seen by one in all its arched window openings.

Paolo captured these photographs on 7 August 2025, simply two nights earlier than full Moon.

They are all single pictures captured with a Nikon Coolpix p510 digital camera.

“The sight was so unreal,” says Paolo. “Many individuals on the streets, noticing the peculiar alignment between the traditional amphitheater and the Moon, started to cease to admire it and take images and selfies.

“In these photographs, the scale of the Moon is totally different as a result of because the Moon rose I bought nearer to the Colosseum to take extra pictures.

“It was really evocative to see the Moon by a window of the Colosseum.

“The columns on both facet, the arch and the colors of the stone, all fashioned a fragile historical body, nearly like an actual portray.

“As the Moon rose, it regularly took on a vibrant hue, attracting everybody’s consideration, and earlier than lengthy I wasn’t the one one admiring the spectacle.

“Those who observed the scene, along with marvelling and taking pictures, requested passersby to take images of them smiling, hugging or kissing with the Moon within the twilight sky behind them, looking from the Colosseum.

“This surprise might be not not like that felt by the ancients once they aligned their buildings and monuments with the celebs.

“It could be an exquisite thought to commemorate conjunctions between sky and Earth like this with extra public occasions in future.

“The shots are indeed beautiful, but it’s equally beautiful to witness the spectacle in person.”

See extra of Paolo’s work through his Instagram account @unsaltonelcielo.

If you {photograph} the Sturgeon Moon this weekend, we would like to see your pictures. Email them to us through [email protected]