Professor Don Pollacco from the University of Warwick Department of Physics sheds light on the science behind Earthshine.
Pollacco explains that when the Moon is a slim crescent, the dark portion of the moon appears faintly illuminated. This may seem perplexing since the crescent is the section directly exposed to sunlight. However, the ghostly glow results from Earth’s light being reflected back onto the Moon’s surface, giving rise to the name ‘Earthshine.’
More than 500 years ago this subtle and beautiful sky event was explained. And recently NASA said: ‘When you think of Leonardo Da Vinci, you probably think of the Mona Lisa or 16th-century submarines or, maybe, a certain suspenseful novel. That’s old school. From now on, think of the Moon.”
