Astronomy Picture of the Day

NASA ^ | 6/7/08 | Miguel Claro

[sig226]

June's Young Crescent Moon
Credit & Copyright: Miguel Claro

Explanation: Serene skyviews were enjoyed across planet Earth earlier this week with a young crescent Moon low in the western sky just after sunset. Recorded on June 4, this colorful example includes a quiet beach in the foreground with the city lights of Lisbon, Portugal, and the Sintra Mountains along the horizon. Posing between cloud banks, the Moon's slender, sunlit arc represents only about 1 percent of the full lunar disc. The rest of the Moon's nearside is faintly visible though, illuminated by Earthshine. A waxing crescent Moon should also create some lovely western skies at dusk this weekend. The bright star in the sky near tonight's (Saturday's) Moon will actually be the planet Mars. On Sunday the Moon will move closer to a pair of celestial beacons, bright star Regulus and Saturn.

[sig226]

[HoosierHawk]

Beautiful skyline.

Thanks.

[BenLurkin]

Very nice picture.

There is some reason why the eye thinks it sees the dark disk of the unlit moon — I forget the terminology and mechanics of it.

Guess the camera is fooled as well.

[SouthDixie]

I forget the terminology and mechanics of it.

At New Moon, the moon is on the same side of the Earth that faces the sun. Therefore, the sunlit side of the moon is facing away from us. The reason we dont see a black disc of the unlit side of the moon is because it's on the "other side" of our atmosphere, which scatters sunlight and gives us our blue sky.

[sig226]

It’s light reflected from the earth.