Crescent

A crescent shape (/ˈkrɛsənt/, UK also /ˈkrɛzənt/) 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.

A waxing crescent Moon (23% lit) appears reddish low in the western sky, as seen from Berlin in October 2018, after astronomical dusk (and minutes until moonset).

This exaggerated design for a crescent moon is made by removing the overlapping part of a smaller circle from a larger circle. These are the proportions on the Turkish flag, for example.

In this accurate design for a crescent moon, the tips are polar opposites on the orb of the moon.

In Hindu Iconography, Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his head, symbolising his control over time, as well as his attributes of both creation and destruction.

It is used as the astrological symbol for the Moon, and hence as the alchemical symbol for silver. It was also the emblem of Diana/Artemis, and hence represented virginity. In veneration of Mary in the Catholic Church, it is associated with Mary, mother of Jesus.

From its use as roof finial in Ottoman mosques, it has also become associated with Islam, and the crescent was introduced as chaplain badge for Muslim United States military chaplains in 1993.

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