Last Moon 2025, First Moon 2026

The last Moon of 2025 and the first Moon of 2026, imaged at 4 seconds to midnight and 1 second after, respectively. The images were taken to represent the transition to a new year and show very little difference between the two. No significant processing has been applied, just a simple colour balance and mild sharpening. Each is a single captured frame to preserve a precise moment in time. The small differences in apparent exposure and sharpness are due, purely, to changes in the atmosphere.

The astronomical data for each image follows:

2025 Moon

Distance: 356 007.55 km
Altitude: 51° 57' 22.9"
Date & Time: 2025 12 31, 23:59:56 UTC

2026 Moon

Distance: 356 008.16 km
Altitude: 51° 56' 46.2"
Date & Time: 2026 01 01, 00:00:01 UTC

Exposures: f/5.9, 1/160s, ISO-100
Focal Length: 1200 mm

Nikon D800
Skywatcher 200P

GIMP: Create composite, sharpen, add text