Slender Moon and Basilica of Superga

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.  Photographer: Stefano De Rosa

As the waning crescent Moon (a day and a half before the new phase) was sinking toward the western 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.

via epod