earth-lightn.

1810 J. Dougall Mod. Preceptor II. 226 The earth-light reflected to the moon must be about thirteen times as great as the moon-light reflected on the earth.

1843 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 3 208 He then suggests distinct explanations for..several other phenomena [which accompany solar eclipses]..; referring some of them to atmospheric action, some to earth-light, [etc.].

1873 E. H. Bickersteth Yesterday, To-day, & for Ever iii. 71 Such Faint earthlight as our planet casts reflex On the dull surface of the crescent moon.

1966 Times 14 June 1/7 Surveyor I, which..landed on the moon 11 days ago, will be enveloped by the lunar night tomorrow... Surveyor could presumably continue with its celestial observation by earth light.

1999 J. I. Lunine Earth ii. 10/1 Our Moon is almost entirely illuminated by the distant Sun (some contribution from Earth-light is detectable on the otherwise unilluminated portion).

1982 P. Devereux (title) Earth lights: towards an explanation of the UFO enigma.

1989 J. Michell Little Hist. Astro-archaeol. (new ed.) ii. 117 Devereux makes a connection between fault lines, megalithic sites and the range of phenomena he calls ‘earth lights’, which occur in folklore as wraiths and spirits and in modern observation as moving lights which appear regularly over certain spots.

1995 Fortean Times June–July 46/2 Most interesting was a 1974 event in Bala, North Wales, long considered to be a classic case of Earthlights.

2003 Guardian 26 Sept. (Life section) 6/5 Unusual natural phenomena are likely to account for a number of so-called UFO encounters. Among the most intriguing are ‘earthlights’.