The relationship between Earth’s sole Moon and mankind has been the stuff that ballads are made of, not to mention poems, piano sonatas, and symphonies.
Astronomy, the science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos, is one of the oldest natural sciences. Early man recorded observations of the night sky in multiple civilizations ranging from the Egyptians to the Greeks, Chinese, and Maya.
Similarly, Selenography is the study of the surface and physical features of the Moon, also known as selenodesy. Studying the sky is easy: Simply look up from an area where there is as little sky pollution as possible.
Connections between the planets and the Moon and music have been discussed since the time of the ancient Greeks and there exists a body of classical music inspired by the heavens that has connections to real science, not just the casual use of a term or two in the title.
But for today, we will put the musical component of our discussion to the side and focus on how the Moon presented itself to those on Earth early Friday morning.
We sent Travelist and FBT Editorial Director Jonathan Spira out into the bitter cold Arctic blast in the Jackson Heights area of New York City, where the temperature was 46° F (-8° C) to capture the the Moon and we are pleased to present what he came back with. There was a clear morning sky and the moonrise was at 3:10 a.m. local time. The moonset was at 12:12 a.m. and the Moon was visible from earth until approximately 7:45 a.m.
Friday morning the morning sky presented us with a Moon in the Waning Crescent phase of its lunar cycle. On this day, Friday, January 24, 2025, the moon was 25 days old and it was 22% illuminated.
The Waning Crescent Moon at 6:02:10 a.m. on Friday, photographed from 80th Street near 50th Street near 50th Avenue in Jackson Heights.
The Waning Crescent Moon at 6:02:40 a.m. on Friday, photographed from 80th Street near 50th Street near 50th Avenue in Jackson Heights.
The Waning Crescent Moon at 6:02:40 a.m. on Friday, photographed from 81st Street near 50th Street near Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.
The Waning Crescent Moon at 6:19:22 a.m. on Friday, photographed from 80th Street near Roosevelt Avenue near 50th Avenue in Jackson Heights.
The Waning Crescent Moon at 6:20:05 a.m. on Friday, photographed from 80th Street near 50th Street near Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.
(Photos: Accura Media Group)
