Lunar Transit of Earth as seen by EPOXI

Care of Mr. Bad Astronomer: "First, the setup. The Deep Impact spacecraft was the one that smacked a chunk of copper into a comet so that we could see what materials were below the surface. After the impact, the spacecraft kept going (with the mission renamed EPOXI), and it’s being used to do all sorts of interesting observations.

In late May, 2008, it turned its cameras back to Earth and observed us over the course of a several hours. During this time, from EPOXI’s point of view, the Moon passed directly in front of the Earth! The images were put together (by my old boss, Don Lindler!) into, well, one of the most astonishing animations I have ever watched. Ever."
deathcowsays...

One thing to take away from this is the apparent albedo (surface brightness) of the moon. The moon is sometimes described by astronomers as being roughly the color of an asphalt parking lot. However, if you suspend this "parking lot" in a dark Sun free sky and illuminate it with the unfettered force of the Sun, it looks quite bright white to our eyes. Here you see it, the color of the Moon.

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