August Earthshine

August 29, 2003

Earthshine_august_1_2003

Provided and copyright by: Wade Clark, Jr.
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster; Wade Clark, Jr.

The above photo was taken August 1, 2003 from Lyman, Washington and shows "earthshine," the faint illumination of the night side of the Moon. Earthshine is sunlight reflected off of the daytime side of the Earth, and though its intensity can vary from day to day, depending on the Earth's cloud cover, for instance, it's usually bright enough to dimly light the non-sunlit portion of the crescent Moon.

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