A sleepless night led the Sicilian photographer to capture this remarkable lunar image from his London balcony

Mimi Mollica says that his photograph of the moon above London presents something of a dichotomy. “There is an element of surprise in seeing the moon in proximity to our terrestrial life, a ‘wow’ factor,” the Sicily-born photographer explains. “And yet this photo also democratises her; bringing her down to Earth, almost touching a building.”

Mollica took the shot from the balcony of his top-floor flat, which overlooks a skyline spanning from the Docklands to central London. It was mid-spring, and he’d woken around 4am. Unable to get back to sleep, he used his iPhone 13 Mini against the viewfinder of his telescope. He has now captured enough images in this way to fill a photography book, Moon City.