Crescent Moon with Earthshine – August 25, 2025

This evening in Bengaluru, between 7:00 and 7:15 PM, I stepped outside and saw the waxing crescent moon hanging low in the western sky. At first glance, only the slender silver arc of the crescent was bright. But what made the sight truly enchanting was the faint outline of the entire lunar disc — softly visible thanks to earthshine.

What is Earthshine?

Earthshine occurs when sunlight reflected off Earth’s surface and clouds bounces back onto the Moon, gently illuminating its night side. Leonardo da Vinci first explained this phenomenon in the early 1500s, calling it the “Moon’s secondary light.”

Today’s Lunar Details (Bengaluru, Aug 25, 2025)

• Moon phase: Waxing crescent
• Moon age: ~2.4 days since new moon
• Illumination: ~6% of the lunar disc
• Position: Low in the west, setting about 8:15 PM IST
• Next major phase: First Quarter on Aug 30, 2025

Reflections

The young crescent always feels like a symbol of new beginnings. Seeing it tonight, glowing faintly with earthshine, was a reminder of the delicate balance between Sun, Earth, and Moon. The light of our own planet made the Moon’s darkened face visible — a quiet, humbling reflection of how deeply interconnected we are with the cosmos.

Here are a few photos

The above is a screen shot using the Safari app showing how the moon would be visible this evening.

Wide angle view of the crescent moon showing the size of the crescent

Partially zoomed in view, the earthshine becomes visible now.

Photo captured by reducing ISO and shutter speed, to highlight only the crescent

Zoomed in view showing the earth shine clearly.

It was a splendid 15 minutes, after that the clouds moved in. All photos were captured using Samsung S25 Ultra