Moon Glows with Earthshine Over Italian Citadel (Photos)

Moon Rises Over Citadel by Giuseppe Petricca — Giuseppe Petricca sent Space.com this image of the moon over a citadel near the Arno River, in Pisa, Italy on March 3, 2014. (Image credit: Giuseppe Petricca)

The moon rises with the brilliant glow of earthshine over a citadel along the Arno River in Pisa, Italy in these beautiful images recently sent to Space.com.

Giuseppe Petricca sent Space.com this image of the moon over a citadel near the Arno River, in Pisa, Italy on March 3, 2014. (Image credit: Giuseppe Petricca)

Amateur astronomer and photographer Giuseppe Petricca of Pisa, Italy, took these images on March 3 as the 2.5 percent lit moon hanged low in the sky roughly one hour after sunset. Petricca used a Nikon Coolpix P90 Bridge on tripod (ISO 100, f5.0). Exposition times varied as the photographer adapted the shots to the incoming darkness.

"Yesterday evening was surely an amazing one," Petricca wrote Space.com in an email at the time.

"With the passing of time, the earthshine appeared as one would forecast with this phase and this perfectly clear sky—making definitely an awesome sight and wonderful combination with the earth and the sky, the nature and the buildings of mankind." [Spectacular Night Sky Photos for April 2014 (Gallery)]

The phenomenon called "earthshine" happens when sunlight reflects off the Earth and shines onto the moon. A crescent moon is between a new moon and a half moon.

To see more amazing night sky photos submitted by Space.com readers, visit our astrophotography archive.

Editor's note: If you have an amazing night sky photo you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

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Nina Sen is a frequent contributor to Live Science’s Life’s Little Mysteries series: an exploration and explanation of our world’s phenomena, both natural and man-made. She also writes astronomy photo stories for Live Science's sister site Space.com.