2006-07-13 10:54:24 · 10 answers · asked by emma b 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Sometimes dust in the atmosphere can cause diffraction of light and bend light so it has a different color when it gets to you!
2006-07-13 11:09:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the moon was low on the horizon when you saw it, right?
When the air is clear the sunset will appear yellow, because the light from the sun has passed a long distance through air and some of the blue light has been scattered away. If the air is polluted with small particles, natural or otherwise, the sunset will be more red. Sunsets over the sea may also be orange, due to salt particles in the air, which are effective Tyndall scatterers. The sky around the sun is seen reddened, as well as the light coming directly from the sun. This is because all light is scattered relatively well through small angles--but blue light is then more likely to be scattered twice or more over the greater distances, leaving the yellow, red and orange colours.
2006-07-14 01:59:48 · answer #2 · answered by CLBH 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The phenomenon is due to scattering and refraction, not diffraction. The moon appears redder, because longer wavelength light (red and orange) weaves its way through the atmosphere particles more easily than the other colors of light like yellow, green and blue. These colors scatter off atmposphere particles more so than orange and red. If more red and orange light make it to your eye as opposed to the other colors, than the moon appears redder. This is even more apparent, when the moon is lower in the horizon since the light has to go through a thicker portion of the atmosphere.
2006-07-13 18:57:54 · answer #3 · answered by conradbreen1 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Based on this site, there was no lunar eclipse. Though eclipses do make the moon appear red, this was not the cause of what you saw. Since Cyprus is probably in the path of winds from North Africa,( guessing from its location as I do not know about meteorology in your part of the world), I'd believe the answers about dust.
2006-07-13 19:40:47 · answer #4 · answered by astronwritingthinkingprayingrnns 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How high in the sky when it was red.
My guess if it was unusually red that there was a lot more dust in the sky. I understand that storms in the Sahara can put dust and sand high in the atmosphere. Sometimes it reaches mid to north Europe and has been reported in UK at extreme times.
2006-07-13 18:10:46 · answer #5 · answered by nick s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the air was dirty... or maybe because of it's position in relation to the horizon (lots of humid air).
Light travels in waves, and behaves like particles. if light has to go through a semi permeable layer (smog, skin, painted light bulbs) It becomes more dim. If the light becomes dim enough, it will lose luminosity, and fall further and further down the prismatic scale... from white to blue to red to black.
2006-07-13 19:25:23 · answer #6 · answered by rpalm82 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if i remember correctly it means that it is going to be hot the next day
2006-07-13 17:58:37 · answer #7 · answered by me 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
damn taggers, trying to paint the moon now
2006-07-13 20:14:00 · answer #8 · answered by daniel_morin667 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
lunar eclipse, please don't listen to idiotic stuff that other people are saying, they are just promoting stupidity
2006-07-13 18:57:05 · answer #9 · answered by murat j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes. acid. lsd. pretty cool.
2006-07-13 17:57:38 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋