Shoot for the moon! Brazilian photographer captures incredible shot of Christ the Redeemer ‘holding’ the moon with both hands after three years of failed attempts

  • Brazilian photographer Leonardo Sens took a series of photos of the iconic statue Sunday as the moon went down
  • In one of the photos the iconic 98-foot high monument appears to be holding the moon with both hands
  • Sens revealed that he spent the last three years studying the moon’s alignment and came close to taking the viral shot on Saturday – but clouds didn’t permit it

By Adry Torres For Dailymail.com

Published: 08:49 EDT, 7 June 2023 | Updated: 09:37 EDT, 7 June 2023

A Brazilian photographer has finally succeeded in capturing an incredible picture of  Christ the Redeemer appearing to ‘hold’ the moon with both hands after three years of failed attempts.

Leonardo Sens snapped his long-awaited shot Sunday from Icaraí Beach in the Rio de Janeiro municipality of Niterói, almost seven miles away from where the iconic statue is located.

The viral photo shows the 98-foot high monument atop the Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca National Park with the moon right above it.

‘In the end, everything went well and I was able to register the long-awaited photo,’ Sens told Brazilian news outlet G1.

After three years of trying, Brazilian photographer Leonardo Sens finally was able to capture his much anticipated shot of Christ the Redeemer 'holding' the Moon in Rio de Janeiro. The viral image was captured Sunday morning from the city of Niterói, almost seven miles away from where the statue is located

Leonardo Sens had studied the Moon's position in order to make sure he could get his money shot

Sens, who has been taking pictures around the Rio de Janeiro area since 2005, revealed that he had prepared himself for the astonishing shot by studying the Moon’s position.

He explained he already knew the time of year that the Moon aligned with the concrete and soapstone monument – by far the country’s main tourist attraction.

Sens used different applications to help him find ‘the times and the exact date’ that the moon would be positioned directly above Christ the Redeemer.

He told online news portal Itatiaia he had purchased a new set of lens two years ago in hopes of being able to take ‘closer photos of the moon and the sun.’ 

Brazilian photographer Leonardo Sens arrived early at Icaraí Beach in the Rio de Janeiro municipality of Niterói on Sunday to set up his tripod for the moment the Moon positioned over the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue

Sens recalled he almost photographed the famous Christ the Redeemer statue appearing to 'hold' the Moon a day earlier but was unable to get the shot he wanted because there were too many clouds in the vicinity

The Moon remains in the background moments after Leonardo Sens took the viral photograph of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer appearing to be 'holding' it

Sens said he tried and failed Saturday to capture the shot when the moon was blocked out by clouds.

But the conditions for his anticipated picture changed on a dime and he moved sideways as the moon started to go down.

‘I went early at the planned time. All I had to do was adjust the tripod and wait for the moon to align,’ Sens said.

The photo set has gained more than 137,000 likes on his Instagram account and wowed his followers.

‘I have seen several pictures of the moon but you managed to leave the perfect angle in a memorable way,’ one follower wrote.

Another said: ‘I don’t even know what to say about these photos … it’s incredible, exciting.’