The magnitude of Earth from Moon

In summary, you can determine the magnitude of ashen light by Earth by measuring the magnitude of Moonlit ground.
  • #1
Numeriprimi
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Hello,
I was wondering that I'm a astronaut on Moon and I thought about a one question...
If I look at the Earth (in "full moon") from the Moon, what magnitude will have the Earth? Ok, I know some typical values that the magnitude of Moon from Earth is -13 mag and the magnitude of Sun from Earth is -25 mag. However, the magnitude of Earth from Moon I don't know. Can I determine it from this values? The Pogson's equation is best for it, but how...?

Thank you very much and sorry for my bad English.
 
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  • #2
Full Earth, or full Moon and therefore new Earth?
Full Earth is 43 times brighter than full Moon. No, you cannot derive that from the magnitudes of Moon and Sun. But now you can apply Pogson´s equation.
 
  • #3
Hmm, however, how do you know that the full Earth is 43 times brigter than full Moon?
 
  • #4
No. One more question. Can I determine the magnitude of Earth on Moon, if I will be know magnitude of ashen lights by Moon and Earth?
 
  • #5
Numeriprimi said:
Hmm, however, how do you know that the full Earth is 43 times brigter than full Moon?
Using the difference in radii, you need to calculate how much larger the area of the Earth is than that of the Moon as seen from the same distance, and multiply the result by the difference in reflectivity(albedo). All values can be found on wikipedia.
 
  • #6
Numeriprimi said:
No. One more question. Can I determine the magnitude of Earth on Moon, if I will be know magnitude of ashen lights by Moon and Earth?

Yes.
 
  • #7
Yes, the first soulution I know. I can say that: (r_2/r_1)^2 * A_1/A_2 = I_1/I_2 ... And than I can numericated the magnitude of Earth from Moon by Pogson's equation.
However, what with the ashen lights? How can I numericate the magnitude of Earth on Moon by this? I really don't know.
 
  • #8
Numeriprimi said:
Yes, the first soulution I know. I can say that: (r_2/r_1)^2 * A_1/A_2 = I_1/I_2 ... And than I can numericated the magnitude of Earth from Moon by Pogson's equation.
However, what with the ashen lights? How can I numericate the magnitude of Earth on Moon by this? I really don't know.

Say that you measure the magnitude of full Moon as -12,74, and also measure the magnitude of ashen light as -2,74. Either way, you are observing from the same distance light reflected by Moon straight back towards the source of light. If ashen light, lit by full Earth, is 10,0 magnitudes dimmer than full Moon, lit by Sun, you can conclude that full Earth also is 10,0 magnitudes dimmer than Sun. So measuring magnitude of Sun as -26,8, you can deduce the magnitude of full Earth is -16,8.

As for the solution with albedo: you need to measure that albedo.
 
  • #9
Ok, I understand. Thank you very much! Hmm...

And if I will know the magnitude of full Earth and full Moon and the ratio between radius of Earth and radius of Moon, I can determine the radius betwenn albedo of Earth and albedo of Moon, yeah?

2,5 log ((r_E/r_M)^2 * A_E/A_M) = 2,5 log I_E/I_M = m_M - m_E
... so, the albedo ratio is 3, right?
 
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  • #10
one more question... is also any way, how to determine the ashen light of Earth? no light of buildings etc., only the ashen light like on Moon.
 
  • #11
Numeriprimi said:
one more question... is also any way, how to determine the ashen light of Earth? no light of buildings etc., only the ashen light like on Moon.

What do you mean as ashen light?
Moonlit ground?
 
  • #12
I'm standing on Earth and watching on the Moon (-13 mag) - I'm seeing the ashen light of Moon (-3 mag).

opposite situation:
I'm standing on Moon and watching on the Earth (-16 mag, no lighting by people) - I'm seeing the ashen light of Earth. How can I determine the magnitude of ashen light by Earth? (for example, in the situation just before when the Earth comes to ,,new moon" and the Moon is on full moon)
 
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  • #13
Numeriprimi said:
I'm standing on Earth and watching on the Moon (-13 mag) - I'm seeing the ashen light of Moon (-3 mag).

opposite situation:
I'm standing on Moon and watching on the Earth (-16 mag, no lighting by people) - I'm seeing the ashen light of Earth. How can I determine the magnitude of ashen light by Earth?

It is equal to the magnitude of ashen light of Moon.
 
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  • #14
Yeah, I calculated it :-) Thank you very much, it is everything.
 

FAQ: The magnitude of Earth from Moon

1. How big is the Earth compared to the Moon?

The Earth has a diameter of approximately 12,742 kilometers, while the Moon has a diameter of approximately 3,476 kilometers. Therefore, the Earth is about 3.7 times larger than the Moon.

2. Can the Earth be seen from the Moon?

Yes, the Earth can be seen from the Moon. However, the view of the Earth from the Moon is not the same as the view of the Moon from Earth. The Earth appears about four times larger in the sky of the Moon than the Moon appears in the sky of Earth.

3. How far is the Earth from the Moon?

The average distance from the Earth to the Moon is about 384,400 kilometers. However, this distance varies slightly due to the elliptical orbit of the Moon around the Earth.

4. How does the magnitude of Earth from the Moon impact tides on Earth?

The magnitude of Earth from the Moon has a significant impact on tides on Earth. The gravitational pull of the Moon on Earth causes ocean tides, with the magnitude of the tides being affected by the distance between the two bodies.

5. What is the significance of the magnitude of Earth from the Moon?

The magnitude of Earth from the Moon is significant because it affects many aspects of Earth, including tides, climate, and the Earth's rotation. It also has significant implications for space exploration and the study of the Moon.

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