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The thin crescent Moon setting over Cerro Paranal, European Southern Observatory in Atacama Desert of Chile. As well as the bright crescent, the rest of the disc of the Moon can be faintly seen. This phenomenon is called earthshine. It is due to sunlight reflecting off the Earth and illuminating the lunar surface. The moon in this evening twilight view is accompanied by two planets, Mercury and Venus (the brighter of the two). October 2011. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE SOURCE/Babak Tafreshi)