Mars is the dot below and left of the moon; the other dot is a star.
The above image has been specially processed to combine source images of very different brightness.
The left side is the very dim ‘dark’ side of the moon, which is illuminated by Earthshine (sunlight reflected off of the earth and onto the moon, then back to Earth).
The illuminated crescent is lit by the sun, and is vastly brighter.
I took two exposures: one at 1/640th of a second, and for half a second. I then (carefully) laid the bright crescent over the enhanced (brightened) earthshine image. The crescent was badly overblown in the earthshine image, which is where the ‘careful’ comes in. I have improved my technique quite a bit since my first attempt a month or two ago. Most of that was learning what Affinity Photo can do, but some of it was careful hand-adjustments near the line between the two at a very small scale (a 6-pixel brush).
It’s still not entirely natural; the difference in brightness is really extreme, but I’m pleased with how this one turned out. I suggest, if you haven’t already, clicking on it to see it at full size.
Technical info: Shot with a Canon 300mm lens with 1.4x extender, for a focal length of 420mm—just about right for my location. It was shocking to see how much the moon wavered from atmospheric distortions. I had to use a very fast shutter speed and a somewhat high ISO (400) to capture a sharp image. I improved the sharpness somewhat with Topaz Sharpen AI software.
The larger carters in Mare Crisium are surprisingly visible, as well as some subtle scarps. Certainly the best moon image I’ve gotten from the new house—I think there are some pretty heavy-duty air movements through the valley below us in the evening, and it makes it hard to get a sharp shot.
Here is just the bright crescent image. Some of the details got banged around in the merge with the earthshine image; you can see the crescent in all its detail here.