iss071e067226_stk (5/8/2024) --- NASA astronaut Matt Dominick aboard space station captured this waxing lunar crescent illuminated by the Sun. The rest of the Moon dimly glows by earthshine when sunlight reflects off Earth onto the Moon. Scientists track the Earth’s brightness, or albedo, via this phenomenon. This photo also shows a cross-section of Earth’s atmospheric layers, including the orange troposphere nearest to the surface and the thicker, light-blue stratosphere above that.
Date May 8, 2024