The glow of the setting crescent moon lights up this image of Twin Lights lighthouse in New Jersey's Navesink Highlands.
Astrophotographer Steve Scanlon took this image from on Jan. 11 and shared it with Space.com. The Twin Lights were built in 1828 and have since have protected ships from danger in the coastal waters of northern New Jersey.
"I had been hoping to get a shot like this for a while. I follow the moon cycles with hopes of incorporating the landscape as well. The best results come during the full moon or when the moon is entering or coming out of it's new moon phase," Scanlon wrote in an email to Space.com. [Related: Moon Photography Tips from Astrophotographers (Slideshow)]
Moonset is when the moon appears to fall below the horizon. A crescent moon is between a new moon and a half moon. The sunlit portion is a waning crescent moon, and the Earth lit portion is a waxing gibbous earthshine.
With a Nikkor 18-300mm lens set at 300mm, Scanlon was able to zoom in on one of the towers of the Twin Lights of Navesink as the crescent moon was setting behind it.
To see more amazing night sky photos submitted by Space.com readers, visit our astrophotography archive.
Editor's note: If you have an amazing night sky photo you'd like to share with us and ournews partners for a possible story or gallery, send images and comments in to spacephotos@space.com.
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Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.