26% Waxing Crescent Moon

This image captures the Moon at 26% illumination in its waxing crescent phase. The image was taken on March 4, 2025, using a ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera and Askar FRA500 telescope.

Notable Features

The waxing crescent phase shows distinct shadows along the terminator (the line between light and dark), highlighting the three-dimensional nature of the lunar surface. Notable features visible in this image include:

• Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises) — The isolated dark plain visible near the terminator
• Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Serenity) — The large circular dark area visible in the northern region
• Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility) — The irregular dark area adjacent to Mare Serenitatis, famous as the Apollo 11 landing site
• Crater Langrenus — A prominent crater with a central peak and terraced walls visible in the southeastern region
• Crater Posidonius — A large crater on the northeastern edge of Mare Serenitatis
• Montes Apenninus (Apennine Mountains) — The mountain range forming the southwestern border of Mare Serenitatis

Along the terminator, hints of the crater chain consisting of Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina can be glimpsed, though they are not fully visible at this phase of illumination.

The contrast between the illuminated portion and the shadowed areas reveals the lunar landscape's topography, with crater rims catching sunlight while their floors remain in darkness.

Technical Information

This image represents the stacking of 100 individual frames, each with an exposure time of 10 milliseconds. The best frames were selected for stacking to maximize detail and minimize atmospheric distortion.

Processing Details

The image was captured as individual photos at the full resolution of the ASI2600MM camera rather than as video. These individual frames were then processed in SharpCap for best frame selection, registration, and stacking. The stacked image was further processed in PixInsight with wavelet processing to enhance surface details while controlling noise. BlurXTerminator was used to further sharpen the details.