Moon over Atlanta: Stunning celestial photos from the AJC's John Spink

Atlanta Weather

Moon over Atlanta: Stunning celestial photos from the AJC's John Spink

The setting moon created a scenic view above Atlanta on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Here is a stunning photo by photographer John Spink of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And we are adding some previous beauty shots of the skies above Atlanta by John Spink.

AJC photographer John Spink captured the full moon Tuesday, March 7, above the Atlanta skyline. (John Spink /john.spink@ajc.com)

The first full moon of 2023 sets over the Georgia State Capitol building on Monday, March 6. (John Spink / john.spink@ajc.com)

Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, just after sunrise in Atlanta.

A super moon hovered over Promenade II (left) and One Atlantic Center (right) in midtown Atlanta on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, as the beginning of the first total lunar eclipse since January 2019 appeared Wednesday over North Georgia. The lunar eclipse became visible in the sky about 5:44 a.m. and peaked at 6:34 a.m., just before sunrise. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

November 19, 2021 Atlanta: A partial lunar eclipse evolved on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 behind Miss Freedom, the statue on top of the Georgia State Capitol dome since 1889 as people either stayed up late or woke up early to see the moon pass into Earth’s shadow. The statue weighs over 1600 pounds and is over 26 feet tall. The epic lunar eclipse was visible in the night sky and lasted into the early morning hours of Friday. Known as a Beaver Moon eclipse, the rare celestial event was to last up to six hours as the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow, with the sun’s rays turning the color of our closest neighbor from its usual gray into a glowing red. The duration of the partial eclipse will be the longest lasting in nearly 600 years, according to NPR, which cited the Holcomb Observatory at Butler University. The moon will began passing into the Earth’s shadow around 1 a.m. More than an hour later, around 2:19 a.m., the moon moved into the umbra and create the optical illusion in which the inner part of Earth’s shadow makes the moon appear to change shape. By around 3:45 a.m. the moon turned a blood red, according to reports. It was not a total lunar eclipse as only 99% of the moon passed into the Earth’s umbra, according to space.com. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

October 2, 2020 Atlanta: Perfect autumn weather brought a harvest moon over downtown Atlanta as a construction crane operating Friday morning, Oct. 2, 2020 swung into place materials for workers against the backdrop of the Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta. The Construction of a nine-level apartment building to sit on top of the 161 Peachtree Center Avenue Garage is set to open in downtown Atlanta as early as 2021. And perfect autumn weather continues, “We’re going to stay dry,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. "The weekend will also see some chilly starts, but Monahan said the sun will help temperatures bounce back in the afternoons. Saturday’s projected high is 70 degrees, still well below the average of 77 for this time of year. The low Saturday is 47 degrees, according to Channel 2. “You want to get out early Saturday morning? Be ready to dress for the cold air," Monahan said. “Coldest we’ve felt since May 12.” With temperatures dropping, Monahan said North Georgia can expect to see the leaves start to change in the next few weeks. Trees in the mountains will reach their peak color first, while metro Atlanta can expect to see peak fall color around Halloween, he said. On the Southside and in Middle Georgia, he said trees may not reach their peak color until the middle of November. “Really, our weather winning streak, in terms of any rain, continues into early next week,” he said. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Standing water in a lot at the corner of 16th Street and Techwood Drive in Midtown Atlanta reflects the city’s dramatic skyline — and reflects the fact that we’ve had a lot of rain this fall and winter. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Taylor Newman walks across Pemberton Place towards the World of Coca-Cola in downtown Atlanta on her way to work.

September 20, 2016 Atlanta : The moon set late in the morning over a lone worker standing high on top of the structural steel of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016 as construction continued on the $1.5 billion rising home of the Falcons and the Atlanta United soccer team. The Falcons have ordered about $200 million worth of changes to the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium and attributed it to issues associated with structural steel. The stadium is set to be completed in June 2017. JOHN SPINK /JSPINK@AJC.COM

Miss Freedom has a clear view of Friday's partial lunar eclipse from the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol. Clear skies on the other side of a cold front contributed to ideal viewing conditions.

The lunar eclipse of the moon over the Bank of America Plaza Building in Atlanta on Oct. 8, 2014.

The lunar eclipse of the moon over the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta on Oct. 8, 2014. In some parts of the country, the "blood moon" as it is called, appeared orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere.

The lunar eclipse of the moon over the 191 Peachtree Tower in Atlanta Wednesday. Atlanta had a clear morning sky for viewing the total lunar eclipse Wednesday morning, Oct. 8, 2014. The full moon was obscured by Earth's shadow as the event began around 5:15 progressing to a full lunar eclipse that began around 6:25 and lasted until dawn. In some parts of the country, the "blood moon" as it is called, appeared orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. There will be two full lunar eclipses in 2015. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Staff photographer John Spink encountered early challenges trying to capture Wednesday morning's lunar eclipse. "I went down North Avenue looking in my side-view mirror to see how the moon was lining up with Bank of America Plaza. I ended up shooting this photo with a 2X extender, making it a 600mm." Spink wasn't really happy with it. "I didn't get the building the way I wanted it and the trees were getting in the way, so I moved on."

A half moon looms overhead the cross of the Abbey church at the Monastery. An increased number of visitors is projected to grow as a visitors center will soon be the Terminus for the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area trail. Today, thousands of Catholics and non Catholics trek to the 2,300-acre monastery in search of a place for quiet reflection and prayer, and there's hope that in the future even more will come.

November 15, 2016 Atlanta: A plane moves across the supermoon over One Atlantic Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. The spectacle continued Tuesday after coming closest to the Earth since January 1948 on Monday. A supermoon coming this close to Earth won't happen again until 2034. The moon appears to be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the average full moon. The distance between Earth and its moon changes because the moon's orbit is elliptical. While the average full moon is about 236,790 miles from Earth, Monday's moon will be 221,525 miles away - a difference of 15,265 miles. In South Florida the skies were clear for the view, while other parts of the state were cloudy and obstructed the view somewhat. Around the world, photographers captured the unique event and posted their work on social media sites. JOHN SPINK /JSPINK@AJC.COM

A pink April moon loomed over the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport control tower Monday, April, 18, 2011. New scheduling rules for air traffic controllers aimed at reducing fatigue on the job were rolled out Monday.

A plane on decent to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport found itself nicely framed within Monday morning’s setting supermoon on Dec. 4, 2017. A trilogy of supermoons began Sunday night with a full cold moon. The next two supermoons will occur on Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, 2018. In addition, there will be a lunar eclipse on Jan. 31 that will cause a “blue moon.” A supermoon occurs when the full moon is at its perigee, which is the closest point of its orbit to the Earth, Space.com reported. The moon appears to be larger and brighter than a regular full moon and up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than when it is at its apogee, which is its furthest point from Earth, Space.com reported. Don’t get used to the comfortable weather, Channel 2 reported. There is a 90 percent chance of rain Tuesday, and temperatures are expected to drop. “Worst kept secret ever,” Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said. “It is really going to get cold.” According to the latest forecast, highs are in the 60s Monday and Tuesday, in the 50s Wednesday and in the 40s through the weekend. Next week, weather conditions are expected to get even colder. “A strong cold front arrives late Tuesday/early Wednesday with rain and much colder air,” Minton said. “We are looking for morning lows in the low 30s and upper 20s.” JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Skies were clear Tuesday morning, April 23, 2019 as flights descended to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport against a setting moon. Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said, â€œThis part of spring is pretty much the best time of the year, in my opinion. This time of year you get those nice mornings, nice, warm afternoons, and you get dry weather.â€ The trend of warmer weather continues all week and through the start of May, he said. â€œTemperatures are going to run well above average,â€ Monahan said. â€œIn fact, by next week, I see the chance for some mid- to even upper 80s across North Georgia. But it looks like the humidity is going to stay nice and comfortable.â€ There is a 20 percent chance of rain late Thursday night, and the rain chance increases to 60 percent for Friday morning, according to Channel 2. Monahan said he does not anticipate any severe weather. â€œI donâ€™t see that as we head through Friday morning, but I do see some wet weather,â€ he said. â€œBy Friday, itâ€™s going to be a wet morning commute across North Georgia, and then we set the stage for whatâ€™s going to be a really nice weekend.â€ JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

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Credit: John Spink / AJC

AJC photographer John Spink captured the full moon Tuesday, March 7, above the Atlanta skyline. (John Spink /john.spink@ajc.com)

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