SPACE — If we observe the moon, sometimes we might see a moon that is slightly orange in color. I wonder why?
Reporting from SkyAtNightMagazine, when the Moon is low above the horizon, it appears dull and bright orange. The color of the Moon will contrast sharply with its brilliant silvery hue when it is high in the sky.
This is caused by the same thing that makes the rising or setting Sun appear orange or red. When the Moon is low, its light has to pass through the Earth’s thicker atmosphere before reaching you.
As a result, more blue and violet light (shorter wavelength visible light) is scattered by the atmosphere. This causes the light we observe to be mostly towards the red end of the spectrum (light with longer wavelengths).
However, there are certain areas on the Moon that have a true orange color. On the Moon, there are areas that if observed will show bright orange spots near the bright crater Aristarchus. The area was known as Wood’s Spot.
The moon also appears to change color to orange or red during a total lunar eclipse. This is as a result of the longer wavelengths of sunlight being refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere towards the Moon which is experiencing an eclipse.
2023-11-18 05:50:00
#Moon #Orange #Space #Space
