"Beautiful Experience": Cape Town Photographer Captures Lunar Eclipse on Table Mountain, SA Stunned

• Jay Caboz Photography hiked 2km up the Devil's Peak trail in the dark to photograph the lunar eclipse above Table Mountain
• The shot required years of planning and specialist equipment to capture the moon at 93% coverage from a single precise location
• Low cloud threatened to ruin everything, but the weather cleared just in time for the eclipse to set exactly on cue

A Cape Town photographer hiked through the dark to a rocky outcrop on Devil's Peak and came home with what he is calling a statistically unrepeatable photograph.

Jay Caboz captured the lunar eclipse at 93% maximum coverage on 28 August 2026, framing the blood-dimmed moon as it set directly behind Table Mountain's cable station at around 06:12 am. The moment lasted seconds. The preparation took years.

Jay had spent a long time studying lunar movement and the geometry of Table Mountain's trails, using planning apps PhotoPills and PhotoEphemeris to pinpoint the one location on the mountain where the alignment would actually work. That spot turned out to be Breakfast Rock, roughly 2km up the Devil's Peak trail. He made the climb in darkness, carrying a Canon 400mm f2.8 lens borrowed from Canon South Africa specifically for the shoot.

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Low cloud was forecast that morning, and Jay said he genuinely had no idea whether the cable station would even be visible when he arrived. The weather broke just enough. The moon tracked exactly into position, and he got his frame. See the photograph that stopped Cape Town in its tracks on Jay Caboz Photography's Facebook post:

Cape Town stunned by lunar eclipse

Many applauded the photographer's eclipse photos:

Claudia Booysens said:

"Through the mist cause we couldn't see anything 🙈"

Gloria Amm wrote:

"Very misty and wet at that time and live in Plattekloof facing the mountain."

Zarina Ebrahim commented:

"How lucky to evade the misty conditions to catch this. Tried at 5am I couldn't see a thing."

Beata Gruszka said:

"Fantastic photos 👏"

Johan Fourie suggested:

"Would send that in to the papers as reader's photo."

Marie-Cecilia Phelps shared:

"Wow. What a beautiful experience for you. Sitting out on my lawn in a sleeping bag was not quite as powerful as what you captured, but last night was definitely 'being' in it 😍"

Other Briefly News of natural phenomenon

• Lize Mostert, a Cape Town resident, captured a stunning lunar eclipse from her home in Bellville on 28 August 2026.
• A TikTok video showcased a mysterious cloud formation over Mossel Bay in a rare optical spectacle.
• Details about a rare atmospheric phenomenon filmed over the United Kingdom left thousands of viewers captivated.

Source: Briefly News