Larry Goffinct, age 10, of Spokane, Washington, for his question:

Does the earth reflect the sun's light?

Moonlight is the light of the sun reflected from the face of the moon. Usually we see only that part of the moon which is bathed in sunshine. But sometimes we see what old timers call the old moon in the new moon's arms. The crescent moon is big and bright and the rest of the moon is dimly lit with an eerie glow. This is earth shine, sunlight reflected from the earth back to the moon.

The earth and all the planets reflect the glory of the sun. But the sunlight is reflected only from the daytime side of the planet. Venus and Mercury never see the night side of earth, for they are between us end the sun. To them the earth is always a sunlit globe.

The outer planets see the day and night side of the earth by turns. To them the earth goes through moonlike phases. The sunshine falls on the earth and some of it reflects out in all directions. But this sun is reflected only from the daytime side of the earth.