Slender Moon and Basilica of Superga in Turin

January 10, 2011

OldMoonandBacilica 
Photographer: Stefano De Rosa; Stefano's website
Summary Author: Stefano De Rosa; Jim Foster

In early December 2010, I carefully planned to capture a "close" encounter between the slender old Moon and the Basilica of Superga, perched high on a hill just outside of Turin, Italy. As the waning crescent Moon (a day and a half before the new phase) was rising from the eastern horizon, I positioned myself to get the shot shown above. Because the picture was taken in morning twilight, with the Moon only four degrees above the horizon, the non-illuminated portion of the lunar disk is just barely visible due to earthshine. When the Moon is higher in the sky, earthshine is easier to detect. Note that the Moon Illusion effect can occur whether the Moon is full or in the crescent phase. Photo taken on December 4, 2010 at 7:10 a.m.

Photo details: Camera Maker: Canon; Camera Model: Canon EOS 1000D; Focal Length: 500.0mm; Aperture: f/6.3; Exposure Time: 0.400 s (1/3); ISO equiv: 200; Exposure Bias: none; Exposure: Manual Exposure Mode: Manual; White Balance: Auto; Flash Fired: No (enforced); Orientation: Normal; Color Space: sRGB.