We have been spending more time looking up at the moon and stars lately. It is getting dark so early now it is a good time for night sky watching before bed... before dinner even!
The other night we learned about Earthshine. Earthshine occurs just after sunset when there is a crescent moon on the horizon. The "dark" area of the moon is lit up by the reflection of light off the clouds of Earth. It is also called the Da Vinci Glow because it was none other than Leonardo Da Vinci who solved the mystery back in the 16th century. You can read more about his views here on the NASA Science site. He did not get it all right (he thought it was caused by a reflection off the oceans) but he had the right idea and that was amazing considering during his time people still thought the Earth was the center of the universe.
Grandpa was here this weekend helping the kids find planets. Now there is a telescope on the wish list of one little girl in our house.
Have you been watching the night sky lately? We would love to hear about what you have seen.
