Why is the thin crescent moon always seen near the horizon?
What do we see in today’s NASA image?
The only geometric arrangement that shows the thin crescent phase of the moon occurs when the moon is close to the sun in the sky. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the Earth’s shadow that creates the crescent moon, but rather a small part of the moon directly illuminated by the sun and seen this way. Also, the thickest part of the crescent always faces the sun.
At sunset, the crescent moon sets shortly after the sun and is not visible during the night. This image, taken just before sunrise two weeks ago, shows the crescent moon behind the remains of the ancient Temple of Poseidon in Greece.
