A trip around the Moon

This video takes us around the Moon and shows how its surface is illuminated not just by the brilliant light of the Sun, but also by light reflected from the Earth. We start on the side facing away from Earth. Part of the surface is brightly illuminated by the Sun, but the rest is totally dark. As we move around the Moon the Earth rises and its reflected bluish light illuminates the Moon’s surface. This dull glow is the earthshine. It can be clearly seen from Earth when the Moon appears as a crescent in the evening or morning sky. When the Sun emerges from behind the Moon the brilliant crescent is seen, with earthshine still faintly visible.