Ultra-thin Crescent Moon
June 25, 2011
Photographer: Fabiano Belisario Diniz; Fabiano's Website
Summary Author: Fabiano Belisario Diniz; Jim Foster
Earlier this month, the midnight Sun was partially eclipsed by the new Moon (yesterday's Earth Science Picture of the Day). The evening after this eclipse, I decided to try to capture this very young crescent Moon from my hometown in southern Brazil. The photo above, taken with my backyard telescope, shows the result. It was snapped on June 2, 2011 at 6:05 p.m. -- about 32 minutes after sunset and about 18 hours after the start of the new Moon phase. Less than two percent of the lunar surface was illuminated. Using a telescope, it's possible to detect an extremely slender crescent Moon about 12 hours after the new Moon -- the record is 12 hours and one minute.
Photo details: Camera Maker: Canon; Camera Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi; Camera coupled to an apochromatic refractor telescope; Aperture: f/0.6; Exposure Time: 1.000 s; ISO equiv: 100; Exposure Bias: none; Metering Mode: Partial; Exposure: Manual; Exposure Mode: Manual; White Balance: Manual; Flash Fired: No (enforced); Orientation: Normal; Color Space: Adobe RGB (1998).