Crescent Moon with Earthshine, seen through the branches of a tree. The Moon does not produce its own light, but can be seen because it reflects light. The bright crescent is lit by the Sun whilst the rest of the surface is faintly lit by light reflected from the Earth, a phenomenon known as Earthshine. The Earthshine is at its brightest shortly before and after a new Moon, as the position of the Moon relative to the Earth means that more light is reflected from Earth onto the Moon at these times.