Earlier this evening I was able to capture two really great shots of the Young Crescent Moon low on the horizon in the western sky about 30 minutes after sunset.
A Young Crescent Moon is a waxing moon that is seen one day to several days after the New Moon. It is always seen in the evening, and always in the west just after sunset. On these days, the moon rises about an hour or so behind the sun and follows the sun across the sky during daylight hours. Luna herself doesn't appear in view until the sun sets and the sky darkens.
What made this Young Crescent Moon in particular tricky to photograph is that it is the first Waxing Crescent Moon following the New Moon and it appears only as a very thin pale strip very low on the horizon.
The first shot is an outstanding close-up of the Young Crescent Moon. It should be noted that the shadow cast over the moon is Luna's own, not the Earth's due to the position of the sun in proximity to Luna in her rotation around the Earth.
The second shot shows the Young Crescent Moon on the horizon to give the viewer an idea of the scale of the first shot. The clouds in the shot also helped.
I hope y'all enjoyed my planetary photographs -- even though technically Luna (aka the moon) is a satellite rather than an actual planet. I was happy to bring them to you. As always have a wonderful Dixie Day y'all and remember to keep watching the night skies.
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