When the Sky Whispers, the Crescent Appears!

Last night, I captured the 1.9% new crescent moon of Rabi ul Awwal from the western horizon of Lahore at 07:03 PM—just 27 minutes after sunset and at 2° altitude, right as nautical twilight began.

Though faintly present, the crescent was not visible to the naked eye anywhere across Pakistan. As per the Ru’yat-e-Hilal Committee of Pakistan, the lunar month officially begins only with visual sightings of the crescent moon and I myself was also NOT able to see the moon with my eyes.

Yet, the camera revealed what the eyes could not - a delicate reminder that patience often uncovers the hidden beauty of the night sky.

Canon EOS 1300D
Samyang 135mm f/2 lens

Single image of iso 100, f/4, 0.3 seconds exposure