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Sky lights up with post-Christmas earthshine

Dec 26, 2011 3:36 pm
Space.com reports that Christmas may be over, but you can expect one more show of lights tonight, as, shortly before sunset -- around 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. -- Venus will be shining brightly toward the west, and to the right of it will be a sliver of a crescent moon. As the sky goes black, a shadowy image of the full moon will materialize within the horns of the lunar crescent, according to NASA Science News service. This is caused by earthshine, or sunlight reflecting off the earth and onto the moon. Earthshine is also known as "The Da Vinci Glow," after Leonardo da Vinci, who is said to have first solved the mystery of the phenomenon. Jupiter will also be brightly lit tonight so Jupiter, Venus and the Moon will, in ascending order, be the three brightest objects in the sky, even piercing city lights and thin clouds according to NASA. Everyone should be able to see them where there's a clear sky. With a simple triangular sweep, you can see the clouds and moons of Jupiter, mountains and craters on the Moon, and the fat gibbous form of Venus.