Joburg astrophotographer captures incredible image of Saturn drifting by the moon

South African amateur astrophotographer, Grant Petersen‘s smartphone photo is anything but amateur. The Johannesburg space enthusiast captured an incredible image with both a telescope and his smartphone in late March when both Saturn and the moon lined up perfectly in what is known as a conjunction, Business Insider SA reports.

Petersen, a self-proclaimed astrophotographer managed to captured an incredible and eerie shot during the occultation of Saturn and the moon. This occurs when a larger mass is made smaller or hidden by another mass that passes between it and the observer.

Take a look at Grant’s images below and read more local news right here.

That was frickin spectacular. This mornings #Moon #Saturn #Occultation at ingress from #Johannesburg captured with a #GalaxyS8 7mm eyepiece 2 x Barlow and 8" Sky-watcher dobsonian telescope. 5 sec vid run through PIPP and stacked with registax #Smartphone #astrophotography pic.twitter.com/H8sSirrS2Z

— GrantPetersen (@GP_O11) March 29, 2019

A South African recorded Saturn 'touching' the moon with his phone, and the stunning pictures are going viral across the world | @BISouthAfrica https://t.co/BPNtE9lD9f pic.twitter.com/UQQC334lZW

— News24 (@News24) April 25, 2019