Beautiful 'Earthshine' Effect Visible Tonight
NASA Earth Observatory
A new Moon occurs when all of the Sun's light is reflected away from Earth, and the side of the Moon facing Earth is barely visible, as illustrated in the above figures. Sometimes the dark face of the Moon catches Earth's reflected glow and returns that light. The dark face of the Moon has a faint shine, a ghostly version of a full Moon. The phenomenon is called earthshine. It tends to be brightest between April and June, though it does occur at other times of the year. The photo at the top of the page was taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station on July 31, 2011.
NASA Earth Observatory
Earthshine varies in strength throughout the year, since the light reflected from the Earth varies. Earth's reflected light (albedo) is brightest in the Northern Hemisphere spring with a second, slightly smaller peak in the Southern Hemisphere spring.
Satellite measurements of energy reflected from the Arctic provide a picture of why earthshine peaks in the spring. During this period, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun and winter snow and ice are still on the ground in the higher latitudes. Because snow and ice reflect more light than vegetation or water, the spring is brighter than the summer or autumn, when there is much less snow and ice. During the winter, the Arctic receives very little sunlight and reflects less light. Clouds and sea ice contribute to the peak in the Southern Hemisphere.
NASA Earth Observatory
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References
- NASA Earth Observatory (2011, February 24) Melting snow and ice warm Northern Hemisphere. Accessed May 28, 2014.
- NASA Earth Observatory (2011, May 19) Seasonal effects of Arctic snow and ice. Accessed May 28, 2014.
- NASA Science (2002) Earthshine. Accessed May 28, 2014.
- United States Naval Observatory (2011, October 17) Phases of the Moon. Accessed May 28, 2014.
Astronaut Photograph ISS028-E-20073 was taken on February 31, 2011, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. Diagrams by Robert Simmon, using the Celestia space simulation. Render of the moon by Ernie Wright, NASA GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio. "Earthshine" lyrics used by permission. Special thanks to Ken Fisher, NASA Johnson Space Center. Caption by Holli Riebeek.
- Instrument(s):
- ISS - Digital Camera
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