At first glance, it looks like an image created with artificial intelligence or edited with Photoshop; however, the photograph is completely real.
American photographer Zach Cooley managed to capture the exact moment when the full Moon was perfectly aligned with the North Windows Arch, a rock formation located in Arches National Park, in Utah, United States.
The result was a stunning optical illusion: the Moon looks like a huge eye watching through the rock.
Most impressive of all is that the image was taken in a single exposure, without digital compositing. To achieve it, Cooley spent months planning the exact moment using astronomical apps capable of precisely calculating where the Moon would appear and from which point he needed to position himself to achieve the perfect alignment.
The photographer explained that just a few steps in the wrong direction were enough to completely lose the visual effect, so precision was essential.
The photograph went viral around the world because it shows that, with patience, planning, and great precision, nature is still capable of creating scenes that seem impossible.