Ghostly ‘Da Vinci glow’ will illuminate the crescent moon this evening – here’s how to see it

From painting the Mona Lisa to his pioneering research, it’s no secret that Leonardo Da Vinci was a world-renowned genius.

And now lucky stargazers have a chance to see “its glow,” with an Earthshine that will light up our skies for the next week.

An eerie yet subtle glow is expected to be visible for seven days from today leading up to and aftermath of the May 19 new moon.

The so-called “Da Vinci” glow is aptly named after the acclaimed Italian researcher who solved the mystery more than 500 years ago.

Its ghostly glow occurs when sunlight is reflected off the Earth onto the lunar surface and then once again into our eyes.

Professor Don Pollacco, University of Warwick Department of Physics, explained: ‘When the moon is a thin crescent you can often see the dark part of the moon shining faintly.

‘At first glance this seems rather mysterious, since the crescent is the part of the moon that is illuminated by the sun – so where does the light from the unlit part of the moon come from?

‘What we actually see is light from the Earth being reflected by the moon! Hence the name Earthshine.’

Although Earthshine usually appears a few days before and after each new moon, it is most visible during spring in northern latitudes.

At this time, the moon is directly above the sun when it sets each evening.

Professor Pollacco continued: ‘As the moon becomes more fully illuminated, the brightness increases enormously and the faint earthshine becomes difficult to see.’

NASA claims Da Vinci mastered the basics of Earthshine over 500 years ago, with his notebooks brimming with sketches ahead of his time.

It read: ‘When you think of Leonardo Da Vinci, you probably think of the Mona Lisa or 16th century submarines or maybe a certain suspenseful novel. That’s old-fashioned. From now on, think of the moon.

The eerie glow is named after Leonardo Da Vinci who solved the mystery centuries ago

“Little known to most, one of Leonardo’s best works is not a painting or an invention, but rather something of astronomy: he solved the ancient riddle of earthshine.”

While Da Vinci was on the right track, it’s clear that he got some things wrong.

For example, he reportedly believed that Earth’s oceans were the main source of earthshine when clouds and sea ice reflect the most light.

Still, NASA suggestsThese are just “nagments,” the main premise of which the 15th-century researcher has grasped.

If the weather is clear, viewers will be able to see Earthshine in the eastern sky from May 15 to May 17.

According to Live Science this will happen before sunrise, with the moon experiencing its lowest seven percent illumination on Wednesday.

Earthshine may then be visible in the western sky from May 21 to May 23, with a 5 percent illuminated moon on Sunday.

The phases of the moon

Like the Earth, the moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the moon rotates.

The sun always illuminates half of the moon while the other half remains dark, but how much of that illuminated half we can see changes as the moon travels through its orbit.

In the northern hemisphere, the phases of the moon are:

1. New Moon

This is the invisible phase of the moon, with the illuminated side of the moon facing the sun and the night side facing the Earth.

2. Waxing Crescent Moon

This silver sliver of a moon occurs when the illuminated half of the moon is mostly pointed away from Earth, with only a small portion visible to us from our planet.

3. First quarter

The Moon is now a quarter of its monthly journey and you see half of its illuminated side.

4. Waxing Gibbous

Now most of the moon’s day side has come into view and the moon appears brighter in the sky.

5. Full Moon

This is the closest thing to seeing the sun’s illumination from the full day side of the moon.

6. Waning Gibbous

As the moon begins its journey back to the sun, the far side of the moon now reflects the moon’s light.

7. Last quarter

The moon looks like it’s half lit from Earth’s perspective, but in reality you’re seeing half of the half of the moon being lit by the sun — or a quarter.

8. Waning Crescent Moon

The Moon is almost back to the point in its orbit where the day side is pointed directly at the Sun, and all we see from our perspective is a thin curve.