Earthshine on the Moon

We show all the dates it is possible to see Earthshine in our Moon Calendars & Moon Diary.

Earthshine is seen for a few days before and a few days after the New Moon and is just before sunrise (before New Moon) or just after sunset (after New Moon). At these times we can see the rest of the Moon as well as the white crescent. It is known as Earthshine or the ‘Da Vinci glow’ because Leonardo da Vinci researched and solved the phenomenon in the 16th Century.

Why do we see Earthshine on the Moon?

If you were standing on the Moon at the time of a new or crescent Moon you would see a Full Earth. Just as the Full Moon illuminates our landscape here on Earth at the time of Full Moon, the Full Earth illuminates the landscape of the Moon and this is what we’re seeing when we see the Moon’s surface at the crescent Moon.

Light from the Sun shines onto the Earth then reflects onto the Moon on either side of the New Moon