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A crescent shape (/ ˈ k r ɛ s ən t /, UK also / ˈ k r ɛ z ən t /) [1] is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself.
The moon-goddess Selene is commonly depicted with a crescent moon, often accompanied by two stars (the stars represent Phosphorus, the morning star, and Hesperus, the evening star); sometimes, instead of a crescent, a lunar disc is used.
The crescent is usually associated with Islam and regarded as its symbol. The crescent and star had been used in the coinage of the Sassanid Persian Empire. The Umayyad Caliphate, after the Rashidun Caliphate's conquest of the region, continue to use similar coins with some modification but leaving the star and crescent intact.
The Moon then wanes as it passes through the gibbous moon, third-quarter moon, and crescent moon phases, before returning back to new moon. The terms old moon and new moon are not interchangeable. The "old moon" is a waning sliver (which eventually becomes undetectable to the naked eye) until the moment it aligns with the Sun and begins to wax ...
The use of astronomical symbols for the Sun and Moon dates to antiquity. The forms of the symbols that appear in the original papyrus texts of Greek horoscopes are a circle with one ray ( ) for the Sun and a crescent for the Moon. [ 3 ]
Officials saw the crescent moon Sunday night in Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, marking the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan for many of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims.
Planetary symbols are used in astrology and traditionally in astronomy to represent a classical planet (which includes the Sun and the Moon) or one of the modern planets. The classical symbols were also used in alchemy for the seven metals known to the ancients, which were associated with the planets, and in calendars for the seven days of the week associated with the seven planets.
The sunlit portion of the crescent moon is over exposed in this Nov. 16, 2023 photo. The rest of the moon is dimly illuminated by reflected sunlight from Earth or 'earthshine.'