opyright ©2026 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.
On Valentine’s Day morning the Moon rose just before sunrise and I was up and ready for it. I went out back and while setting up my tripod and camera I thought I heard a quiet “hello”. It was dark and way too early for anyone to be out so I carried on. Then I heard a louder “hello”. Oh, my gosh it was my neighbor out filling her bird feeder. We both giggled and said good morning then we both admired the Moonrise.
Waning Crescent 8.1%.
There was Earthshine too. What is Earthshine you may be asking? The internet has a better definition than mine.
“Earthshine is the faint glow seen on the unlit portion of the Moon, particularly during its crescent phase.
It occurs when sunlight reflects off Earth’s surface—especially clouds, ice, and landmasses—then travels to the Moon, illuminates its night side, and is reflected back to Earth. This creates a ghostly luminance on the Moon’s dark face, making the entire lunar disk visible even when only a thin crescent is lit by direct sunlight.
The phenomenon is most noticeable just before and after a New Moon, when Earth appears nearly full from the Moon’s perspective, maximizing the reflected light. Earth reflects about 30% of incoming sunlight, and from the Moon, Earth appears 40 times brighter than the full Moon does from Earth. The effect is sometimes called “the old Moon in the new Moon’s arms” or “the ashen glow.”
Earthshine is not just a visual curiosity—it’s a valuable tool for science. By studying the light reflected from Earth to the Moon, researchers can analyze Earth’s albedo (reflectivity), monitor changes in cloud cover, and even search for signs of life, such as the “red edge” spectral signature from vegetation.
It also serves as a natural illumination source for robotic missions exploring the Moon’s night side and permanently shadowed polar regions.”
I zoomed in a bit. Here it is at 100mm.
Isn’t that a lovely thought, ” The Old Moon in the New Moon’s arms”.
The contrail was interesting- it looks like it’s going right through the Moon.
We’ve got a storm coming in as I type this (Tuesday morning). They predict 4-8 inches of snow here in the valley and 12-16 in the mountains. We woke up to snow and it’s still snowing. We’re staying in and getting cozy. Well until we have to get bundled up and start shoveling!
I finished the Love Stamps puzzle I started at the beginning of the month last night so, I suppose it’s a good time to start a new one.
I hope you’re all having a good week!
Nikon Df| Nikkor 120mm| edited and processed in PS CC 2026
more to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
A lovely capture Deborah, and I love the colours you caught. Such a beautiful way to start the day catching this mindful moment seeing the moon in a glory seldom appreciated.
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Great photos, Deborah. Great capture of the contrail. I also found the information on Earth shine quite interesting. Thanks.
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Thank you so much, John! I’m glad you liked the extra info I shared today too.
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Oh how beautiful, Deborah! 💙❤️💜
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Thank you, Donna!
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Lovely purple colored sky! And the moonshine is very cool indeed!
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Thank you so much, Jill!
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I have never realised the earth is reflecting on the moon. But of course it is! Interestingly I find the non-zoomed in picture is showing the earthshine better then the 100% one. How wonderful, Deborah!
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It’s pretty cool when you think about it isn’t it? I noticed that too about my zoomed in image. That too was strange. I thought it would be more pronounced. Thank you so much, Peter!
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The dark contrail contrasts well with the bright crescent moon it seems to skewer.
The chances for a bright moon are many, but for earthshine they’re a lot fewer.
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That’s so true!
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That’s an absolutely beautiful photo, Deborah. Thank you so much for explaining Earthshine. I have seen that, and I’ve heard an expression like “The Old Moon in the New Moon’s arms” but I never realized what caused that glow.
I hope you were able to keep up with the snow. Have a great rest of this week.
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Thank you so much, Dan! We didn’t keep up. We called it last night and will dig out/shovel this morning when it warms up a bit. It’s sunny but cold. Only 19 degrees F as I type this. The snow plow our HOA hired hasn’t made it to our street yet either. I know they’re so busy right now!
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Good luck. Be careful. The cold makes that kind of work much harder.
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Thank you!
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The contrail’s a great addition. It looks like an hors d’oeuvre suspended on a cocktail toothpick. I had wondered about your snow after reading about the avalanche near Donner Pass. I first heard about the significant snowfall when I read about the number of traffic accidents in the area.
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I love the way you see that contrail! It finally stopped snowing for a bit in during the night. We’ll be out later shoveling again. It should be better weather today so they can rescue those back country skiers. I hope!!
Our HOA ordered a snow plow for our street but, it hasn’t made it out yet so the road it thick with snow. Most of the drivers here have 4WD or AWD so the few cars I’ve seen coming and going are slowing getting off and on our street. The street leading off our street is on a school bus route so should get plowed by the county today.
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