Young Crescent Moon, Mercury and Mars in sunset twilight and at last light

In the late afternoon on Thursday 23rd October, cloud clearing in front of a colorful sunset to the WSW of Mutare revealed the presence of a two-day old 4.5% illuminated Waxing Crescent Moon with Mercury and Mars becoming visible to its right as light from a volcanic sunset twilight arch faded. This planetary grouping near the Moon is unusual as it involves the innermost one Mercury which is close to the Sun (and approaching maximum elongation on the 29th) and Mars which is at present difficult to spot because it is very low on the horizon at sunset and behind the Sun on the opposite side of the solar system.

Tripod-mounted Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 in manual exposure mode.

Montage of two photographs taken in same direction at 6.23 and 6.41 pm.