Had to come back to mention this

[rejectomorph]

Outside for a breath of fresh air before bed, I looked east and saw the late moon, a big white grin in the clear sky. I could see the rest of it, as well, dimly. Was it a trick of my eyes? It seemed that a halo of light around the dark top of the moon was pulsing, brighter and dimmer. It seemed, too, that the unlit surface was glowing, brighter and dimmer. I stood so that the bright lower part of the moon was hidden behind the roof of the house, and the remainder of it became clear. To be sure, the light was spreading and fading, again and again, over the dark part of the moon. The thin crescent of dawn was like a white rainbow at the top of the orb, The swiftly following sun was surely creating a dawn there. But why does the light on the dark surface grow and fade? Could it be the result of some sort of solar flare? I don't know. A strange and enchanting sight.

Comments

[eideteker.livejournal.com]

You might want to check this, but I believe what you saw was the first sunlight being refracted by the earth's atmosphere (hence the constant shifting) and onto the moon.

I've seen it, too, but I'm at a loss to explain it other than that. It's hard to see unless it's really dark, but the moon often has earthshine (light reflected from US to IT).

[rejectomorph]

I hadn't thought of that. That was probably it. I've never seen it quite so bright before, though. I guess that the moon was probably in just the right position to pick up the reflection of sunlight from the Atlantic and all those clouds that form over it this time of year. It really was a remarkable sight.