When the inner Sun shines...

Sometimes, the Earth passes directly between the Moon and the Sun. At these moments, the Earth cuts off the light reaching the Moon. However, the Earth's atmosphere causes the refraction (bending) of sunlight, so that the Moon rarely disappears completely from view. If the Earth had no atmosphere, the Moon could disappear entirely. At these moments, the Earth's night side is completely cut off from the light that passes it in arcs, so there is no light source illuminating the Moon.

Astronomers have noted that these lunar eclipses vary in brightness. Sometimes they are very dim, other times extremely bright. If Earth's atmosphere is saturated with dust, then the lunar eclipse is very dark, sometimes the moon disappears completely. But there are also moments when the Moon is exceedingly bright, far too bright. Can an aurora actually illuminate a moon-sized object ~300,000 km away? Or are there times when light from the inner sun refracts and escapes through the cold polar air, striking directly onto the Moon's surface?

Here is the record of an astronomical observation made on March 19, 1848:

"I would like to draw your attention to the fact, which I easily observed, that during the entire summer lunar eclipse of March 19, the shadowed surface presented an unusual glow, probably about three times more intense than the usual ILLUMINATED SURFACE of the Moon. The color of the Moon was very red. During this total eclipse, the light and dark areas on the lunar surface were visible better than during a bright full moon, and the deep red color, when the sky was clear, was very visible against the background of stars."

Observations from Ireland also show that before the eclipse ended, the light falling on the Moon also faded. It was a sort of effect achieved with "searchlights." Did light from Earth's inner sun fall on the Moon? Even for a brief moment before it was plunged back into total darkness? Why the red color? Sunsets are red, after all...

Additionally, scientists have noted numerous anomalies, for example, with Jupiter's moon Io. Sometimes, when Io is outside Jupiter, in complete shadow, scientists notice its unusual brightness.