Earthshine
- “why can I see the dark part of the moon”
- “what is earthshine”
- “old moon in the new moon's arms”
- “da vinci glow”
:: COMPARE ::
EarthshinevsPlanetshine
The short answer
Earthshine is one case of planetshine — the general phenomenon of a moon's dark side being lit by its parent planet. The same effect operates on moons throughout the solar system; ours is simply the one we can see from underneath.
Side by side
| Aspect | Earthshine | Planetshine |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Earth and Moon | Any planet-moon pair |
| Visible to us | Yes | With a telescope |
| Brightness varies with | Earth's albedo | The planet's albedo |
| Category | An instance | The general case |
Which one you meant
Readers who land here meaning Earthshine rather than Planetshine are usually searching for phrases like “why can I see the dark part of the moon”, “what is earthshine”, “old moon in the new moon's arms”.
Read either one in full