Lunar Christmas Earthshine above Mértola Castle
Alqueva´s Dark Sky Reserve | By Year: 2017 | Earthshines & Crescent Moons | Mértola & Mina São Domingos | Monuments Heritage & History | Moon in close up | Moonlight Scenes | Nature | Twilight Dawn & Dusk

Captured one day after the new moon during the Christmas week, the moon was only 2% illuminated by the sunlight. Though, we can clearly distinguish the entire disk due to a phenomenon called Lunar Earthshine. In the foreground, located in a top hill, is a beautiful well-preserved medieval castle from Mértola village, in Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, decorated with Christmas lights around the walls and by coincidence very well aligned with the crescent moon, forming the perfect frame for a Christmas Card.