SCOTS have been left wowed after a photographer managed to capture an incredible snap of the rare crescent moon looming over the horizon.
Andrew Allan had just arrived home in Scone, Perth and Kinross yesterday when he suddenly looked up and was taken aback by the breathtaking view above.
The astrophotographer was witness to a thin crescent moon flanked by both Jupiter and Venus, making for a unique display known as a ‘conjunction’.
A conjunction occurs when two celestial bodies appear to meet or pass by each other- and doesn’t last long, meaning 25-year-old Andrew had to be quick with his camera.
Snapping a series of images, one beautiful photo shows the dark blue sky above a row of houses.
A twinkling Venus can be seen to the right of the photo, mirroring the glow of Jupiter gleaming from higher up.
Clouds can also be seen in the Cletus constellation, appearing as thin slips to the side of the display.
In the centre of the photo, a large crescent moon can be seen, perched on the shadow of a faint full moon, which has a series of dark craters visibly patterned around its surface.
The entire scene almost resembles a clock face, with the moon serving as the centre and each planet acting as the hour and minute hand.
Andrew shared the incredible galactic image on social media last night, writing: “Such a beautiful sight just now over Scotland.
“Taken in Perth right now. Shame I couldn’t get out and get a better shot with a better foreground but the earthshine is just beautiful on its own.”
The post has attracted over 2,200 likes, 500 comments and more than 652 shares as many were left awestruck by the picturesque beauty.
Steven Marshall said: “A beautiful sight indeed. Looked lovely from Sanna over here in Ardnamurchan.”
Elizabeth McKenzie Bridge commented: “Totally awesome seeing this early evening.”
Nicki Armour wrote: “Wow, amazing shot. Never seen it like that before with the full moon in darkness.”
Reese Faulds added: “It looks magical out there tonight.”
Speaking to Andrew today, he said: “[This was] taken yesterday at 8pm from my home in Scone. I just came home and noticed the skies were clear.
“I knew the conjunction was going to be that evening but thought the cloud would obscure it. I quickly got my equipment and set up in my front drive and shot the image.
“A lot of people walked past, giving me weird looks but I was so happy with the sight that I didn’t care.
“The moon is beautiful when it’s a thin crescent as you can see the shadowed side of the lunar surface as it gets near the horizon.
“It’s a very rare image as conjunctions like this don’t happen very often. Very, very glad that I would get the opportunity to capture the rare event.
“The weather this winter has been terrible to capture the night sky, I travelled to Arctic Norway and Iceland this winter and had better weather for photography.”
