Did You Know Why Does The Moon Change Its Colours? Find Out Here – News18
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Astronomical data suggests that it is mostly made up of various minerals like oxygen, metals and silicon.
For a large part of our lives, we know that the moon’s colour is white. And why not? When we look up at the sky at night, we see the moon shining bright and white. What if we tell you that white is not the actual colour of the moon? The intriguing celestial body, when viewed from the Earth, appears white but various studies have mentioned that it is mostly grey.
The photos taken from space depict the surface of the moon. Further, the astronomical data suggest that it is mostly made up of various minerals like oxygen, metals and silicon. The volcanic rocks are responsible for its unique grey look. Sometimes, when viewed carefully, one can also get a glimpse of green. It is because of rare minerals like olivine.
The view of the moon also depends on the atmosphere. The reason why it looks pale and white during the daytime has a lot to do with the contrasts it creates with the brightly shining sun. The sunlight covers the maximum sky, making the moon look less vibrant. As for its appearance during the night, the celestial body embraces a yellow or orangish hue. Reason? Light passes through more air density, further resulting in the distribution of blue light, allowing warmer yellow and red colours to dominate the colour scheme.
Another reason the moon embraces different colours during different times is its surroundings. The dark colour of the sky can create an illusion, giving it a more colourful view. The process is the same as that of the sun which turns red during sunrise and sunset due to the distribution of light.
Here we take a look at the different colours of the moon:
Red Moon
The moon appears red during a full lunar eclipse because the Earth blocks most of the sunlight. The remaining light which passes through the atmosphere gets filtered, allowing only red light to reach near the moon’s surface.
Yellow And Orange Moon
Sometimes, the moon looks yellow or orange and the reason behind it is the dense atmosphere which scatters the shorter blue lights. Again, it enables yellow and orange lights to shine through.
Blue Moon
A blue moon is not something one can view regularly. It appears only when smoke or dust, mostly after volcanic eruptions, in the atmosphere distributes light differently.
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