A stunning photo of the moon captured by a photographer from Turin has been awarded the ‘Astronomy Image of the Day’ for Christmas by NASA.

This is Valerio Minato’s photo showing the moon perfectly aligned with the dome of the Superga Basilica, near Turin, and the peak of Monviso, also known as Monte Viso, the highest mountain in the Cottianes Alps.

Speaking to the Corriere Torino news agency he said: “I’ve been taking pictures since 2012, first in Turin and then in the surrounding area, to see the city from different points and distances. At some point I started looking for the point where the Superga dome can be perfectly aligned with the Monviso as well.”

“I spotted it in 2017 on a hill in the Chivassese region, between San Raffaele Cimena and Castagneto Po, in Piedmont, a 40-minute drive away. Since then the obsession has been to frame both of them by a celestial body,” he added.

Minato meticulously studied the phases of the Moon, the position of the horizon, and the weather with great precision for the shot.