Earthlight (astronomy)
Encyclopedia
Earthlight is the partial illumination of the dark portion of the moon
's surface by light reflected from the earth. It is also known as earthshine
, the Moon's ashen glow or the old Moon in the new Moon's arms.
This phenomenon is best observed just after new moon, when the moon is a thin crescent. On these nights it is easy to see the entire disk of the moon. The word is rare but is recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary
.
It would also be a suitable term for an observer on the moon seeing the Earth during the lunar night. Arthur C. Clarke
uses it in this sense in his novel Earthlight
.
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
's surface by light reflected from the earth. It is also known as earthshine
Planetshine
The phenomenon known as planetshine occurs when reflected sunlight from a planet illuminates the night side of one of its moons. Typically, this results in the moon's night side being bathed in a soft, faint light. The best known example of planetshine is earthshine, which can be seen from Earth...
, the Moon's ashen glow or the old Moon in the new Moon's arms.
This phenomenon is best observed just after new moon, when the moon is a thin crescent. On these nights it is easy to see the entire disk of the moon. The word is rare but is recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
.
It would also be a suitable term for an observer on the moon seeing the Earth during the lunar night. Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
uses it in this sense in his novel Earthlight
Earthlight
Earthlight is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, published in 1955. It is an expansion to novel length of a short story that he had published four years earlier.-Overview:...
.