THE SKY GUIDE CHALLENGE

What's the youngest Moon you can photograph? Try our ‘impossible’ challenge

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On the evening of 14 July, there's a chance to try for something most photographers never see: an ‘impossibly’ young Moon. Just hours after new Moon, an ultra-thin crescent may hover barely clear of the northwest horizon - so close to the Sun that, by conventional wisdom, it shouldn't be visible at all. Can you catch it?

New Moon occurs at 10:43 BST (09:43 UT), when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. By the time evening arrives in the UK, the Moon will be separating from the Sun. At 21:30 BST (20:30 UT), they will be just 6.2° apart, which according to the Danjon limit is too close to the Sun to allow the Moon's crescent to be seen. But is it?