<p>It's not, but it is much dimmer than the solar corona. And your eyes perceive the disc as being completely black.</p>
<p>Careful photography can image the moon's disc during a total eclipse.
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/vPQFm.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/vPQFm.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>This composite image from <a href="https://www.space.com/total-solar-eclipse-2019-earthshine-photo.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">space.com</a> of the total solar eclipse of July 2, 2019, shows the faint earthshine on the lunar surface.  (Image credit: <a href="http://www.miguelclaro.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Miguel Claro)</a></p>
<p>This image is <em>composite</em>, the solar corona and the moon's disc are from two photographs taken at the same time. But the exposure time for the disc was much longer than for the corona. The two images have been carefully combined.  This kind of image is impossible to see. In a long-exposure photograph of the moon's disc, the solar corona would be completely overexposed. In a photograph of the corona, the lunar disc would be underexposed and appear black.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-16T20:43:53.780Z
I think you mean " the moon's disc would be underexposed and appear black". It would be difficult to underexpose the solar disc.
Thomas
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-16T18:23:46.113Z
2024-03-16T20:49:50.367Z
2024-03-16T20:49:50.367Z
James K
<p>I noticed that during solar eclipses the lunar disk looks completely black, it is impossible to see any relief details on it. At other times, the unlit part of the Moon is quite clearly visible.
An eclipse occurs during the day when the illuminated side of the Earth faces the Moon, so the surface of the Moon is illuminated by sunlight reflected from the Earth, just as the Earth is illuminated by moonlight at night.
Earth's light is many times brighter than moonlight, since the earth's surface area is larger.
For this reason, during an eclipse, the surface of the Moon should be especially visible, but everything happens exactly the opposite?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/DRb2G.jpg." rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/DRb2G.jpg." alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/axGAO.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/axGAO.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-16T18:08:28.260Z
The bottom photo is of an annular eclipse, so the sun shining around the edges is still incredibly bright.  For a total eclipse, the corona is still pretty bright compared to the Earthshine, but some photographers pull out some detail with long exposures, and produce a composite image showing detail on the moon.
Greg Miller
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-16T18:18:36.837Z
This is just a question about eye physiology.
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-16T20:21:03.533Z
@ProfRob, certainly _in_part_ about how human eyes work. :)
paul garrett
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-16T20:29:27.037Z
The bottom photo does not look like a visible light photo (x-ray photo maybe?), so it is unlikely that the Moon would be visible at any exposure.
JohnHoltz
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-17T09:50:44.903Z
@GregMiller  I looked at a lot of photos besides this, the lunar disk looks the same everywhere.
Vladimir Orlov
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-17T18:43:07.800Z
See realated https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/57096/details-of-the-moons-night-photographed-in-a-total-solar-eclipse
Albert
<the-moon><solar-eclipse><disk>
Why is the lunar disk completely black during solar eclipses?
Vladimir Orlov
# Why is the lunar disk completely black during solar eclipses?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-03-16)

I noticed that during solar eclipses the lunar disk looks completely black, it is impossible to see any relief details on it. At other times, the unlit part of the Moon is quite clearly visible.
An eclipse occurs during the day when the illuminated side of the Earth faces the Moon, so the surface of the Moon is illuminated by sunlight reflected from the Earth, just as the Earth is illuminated by moonlight at night.
Earth's light is many times brighter than moonlight, since the earth's surface area is larger.
For this reason, during an eclipse, the surface of the Moon should be especially visible, but everything happens exactly the opposite?

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/DRb2G.jpg.)](https://i.sstatic.net/DRb2G.jpg.)

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/axGAO.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/axGAO.png)

**Tags:** the-moon, solar-eclipse, disk

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The bottom photo is of an annular eclipse, so the sun shining around the edges is still incredibly bright.  For a total eclipse, the corona is still pretty bright compared to the Earthshine, but some photographers pull out some detail with long exposures, and produce a composite image showing detail on the moon.  
> **username_2**: This is just a question about eye physiology.  
> **username_3**: @username_2, certainly _in_part_ about how human eyes work. :)  
> **username_4**: The bottom photo does not look like a visible light photo (x-ray photo maybe?), so it is unlikely that the Moon would be visible at any exposure.  
> **username_0**: @GregMiller  I looked at a lot of photos besides this, the lunar disk looks the same everywhere.  
> **username_5**: See realated https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/57096/details-of-the-moons-night-photographed-in-a-total-solar-eclipse  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2024-03-16. Score: 4

It's not, but it is much dimmer than the solar corona. And your eyes perceive the disc as being completely black.

Careful photography can image the moon's disc during a total eclipse.
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/vPQFm.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/vPQFm.png)

This composite image from [space.com](https://www.space.com/total-solar-eclipse-2019-earthshine-photo.html) of the total solar eclipse of July 2, 2019, shows the faint earthshine on the lunar surface. (Image credit: [Miguel Claro)](http://www.miguelclaro.com/)

This image is *composite*, the solar corona and the moon's disc are from two photographs taken at the same time. But the exposure time for the disc was much longer than for the corona. The two images have been carefully combined. This kind of image is impossible to see. In a long-exposure photograph of the moon's disc, the solar corona would be completely overexposed. In a photograph of the corona, the lunar disc would be underexposed and appear black.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: I think you mean " the moon's disc would be underexposed and appear black". It would be difficult to underexpose the solar disc.  

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