The Moon at 54% phase, photographed on the evening of May 23, 2026.
One of the challenges of this shoot was the low position of the Moon above the horizon — only 30 degrees. In such conditions, dense layers of the atmosphere act as a low-quality lens, mercilessly blurring fine details and distorting color reproduction. Added to this, Kyiv’s urban activity fills the air with dust and aerosols, making the already difficult atmospheric conditions even more unforgiving.
The Moon is far from a single color. Its surface reflects a complex geological history written in minerals. Blue and violet hues mark ancient basalt plains rich in titanium, while orange and red tones betray the presence of iron oxide across older highland terrain. The large reddish depression visible near the terminator is Mare Serenitatis — one of the most ancient and vast impact basins on the lunar nearside.
Brightness, too, tells a story. Brilliant white patches mark younger regolith freshly exposed by recent impacts, while the deeper brownish tones belong to surfaces that have spent billions of years under the slow weathering of cosmic radiation and micrometeorite bombardment.
Every color here is real - enhanced to be visible, but rooted in the actual mineral chemistry of the lunar crust.
This image was captured on the evening before one of the largest missile attacks on Kyiv — 90 missiles and 600 drones in a single night, striking every district of the city.