Earthshine on the Moon

Earthshine

At the time of the crescent Moon, we can see the unlit part of the Moon’s surface as a beautiful glow. This is Earthshine or the ‘Da Vinci glow’ because Leonardo da Vinci researched and solved the phenomenon in the 16th Century.

When to look out for Earthshine

The best times to look out for Earthshine is included in our Moon Calendars & Moon Diary.

Earthshine is seen for a few days before and after the New Moon.
Before New Moon, look out at dawn.
After New Moon, look out at dusk .

Why do we see Earthshine on the Moon?

The light of the Sun is shining onto the Earth and reflecting back to the Moon.

If we were standing on the Moon, the Full Earth would illuminate the lunar landscape, just as the Full Moon illuminates our landscape, here on Earth.

Here’s an animation we made to show this in more detail