earthshine

[ urth-shahyn ]

nounAstronomy.
  1. the faint illumination of the part of the moon not illuminated by sunlight, as during a crescent phase, caused by the reflection of light from the earth.

Origin of earthshine

1
First recorded in 1825–35; earth + shine1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for earthshine

earthshine

earthlight

/ (ˈɜːθˌʃaɪn) /


noun
  1. the ashen light reflected from the earth, which illuminates the new moon when it is not receiving light directly from the sun

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