Earthschine

Earthschine on the Crescent Moon
photo by John Shaffer

This 6-second exposure on Kodak 103a film was taken through a 400 mm telephoto lens.   The crescent moon is purposely over exposed in this picture so that the portion of the Moon which is otherwise unlit by direct sunlight is being illuminated, although less brightly, by sunlight reflected from the surface and atmosphere of the Earth.  Thus the light on the dark side of the Moon in the above picture has been twice reflected.