The Moon (15% Illumination)

The Moon photographed by amateur astrophotographer Pete Lawrence: Earth's only natural satellite, 240,000 miles away and 4.51 billion years old.

Target details

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and one of the largest moons in the Solar System. It orbits about 240,000 miles away on average – just over one light-second. It formed around 4.51 billion years ago, not long after Earth, most likely from debris thrown out when a Mars-sized body called Theia crashed into the young Earth. The Moon always keeps the same face towards us, and that near side is a patchwork of dark volcanic plains, the maria, between bright ancient highlands and sharp impact craters.

Capture details

Data captured 6th August, 2016.
This photo was taken just as the summer sun was setting over the rooftops visible from my bedroom window. The clouds cleared for a few minutes so I had to be quick to get this using a 35mm lens at f/1.8, ISO 1600.

Equipment details

Nikon d7100
Nikon 35mm f/1.8

Processing details

This image was processed in Pixinsight & Lightroom.