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Moon with Earthshine
Kodak Ektar 125 film - 16" f/4.5 Newtonian telescope
Earthshine occurs when the moon's surface is lit not by the sun directly, but by sunlight being reflected off the Earth and back to the moon. Earthshine can be seen the most during the crescent phases of the moon. The smaller the crescent, the greater the earthshine. It creates a surreal quality and color to the moon's surface that is uniquely different than when it is lit directly by the sun.
Why do we always see the same side of the moon? Because after millions of years of orbiting the Earth, the Moon's rotation has been slowed by gravity to the point that it always keeps one face towards the Earth.
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