2006-09-08 14:55:23 · 18 answers · asked by Liban M 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Harvest moon.
2006-09-08 14:56:40 · answer #1 · answered by Caribbean Blue 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I'm an astronomer so I looked up info in our observatory database for you !
Actually, it's not just during the Harvest Moon that this happens. You can see this on any full or nearly full moon as the moon is rising. And it's for the same reason that sunsets are red and orange. The sun is shining all of the colors of the rainbow on to the moon, and the moon is reflecting all of those colors pretty evenly.
When the moon is low, the reflected sunlight has to travel through more air than when the moon is high in the sky. Colors at the blue and violet end of the rainbow (spectrum) are easily scattered or bent (refracted) by the atmosphere. (That's why the sky is blue: you're seeing blue sunlight scattered in every direction.) So it's the colors at the red and orange end of the spectrum that pass through the atmosphere and into your eyes.
The following picture links I found online to give you a visual of the answer .
2006-09-09 01:00:54 · answer #2 · answered by spaceprt 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's a harvest moon.
The Harvest Moon is the full moon that appears nearest to the autumnal equinox, which occurs on or about 23 September. This moon is also known as the Wine Moon, the Singing Moon and the Elk Call Moon. It sometimes occurs in October, depending on the cycles of the moon.
The appearance of the Harvest Moon begins the first of the harvesting months in the Northern Hemisphere. Many cultures celebrate the harvests with gatherings, festivals, and rituals that are intricately attuned to the Harvest Moon.
At this time, the moon rises at a point which is opposite to the sun, and is situated close to the eastern point of the horizon.
It is claimed by some that the harvest moon seems to be somehow "larger" than other full moons. The human eye sees a low hanging moon as being larger than one that rides high in the sky. This is known as a Moon illusion, because the image of the moon in the sky is always the same size. A similar type of lunar effect is seen at the time of the spring equinox, which occurs on or about 21 March.
The harvest moon gets its name from the fact that farmers who were harvesting their crops at this time of year were able to use the extra light of the harvest moon to continue the work in the fields. In October, the full moon for that month can exhibit a similar effect, and is called the hunter's moon.
2006-09-08 22:00:36 · answer #3 · answered by ndtaya 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The moon looks red because of the refraction of the Earths atmosphere, but today you did notice it looks redder.
The moon and sun for that matter look more red at sun rise and sun set when there is more "dust" or better yet particles in the upper atmosphere. We notice red moon rises shortly after volcanoes erupt anywhere on the Earth as a few days or weeks go by and all the ash is distributed around the globe. We also notice red moon rises when there are fires producing a lot of smoke. This smoke gets in the upper atmosphere just like volcanic dust and cause the redder then normal moon rise. The effects of fire are not noticed on a global level like volcano eruptions are, but if there are large fires burning in the western US we will have very red moon rises found in most of the United
States. I would say in the past few nights it is the forest fires in the west that have made the moon rises so red.
2006-09-08 21:57:27 · answer #4 · answered by Scott A 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The same reason why sunsets are red. Low in the horizon, the light coming from the moon has to travel through a lot more atmosphere (and pollutants) before it reaches your eyes. The other colours start to get filtered out. As the moon continues to rise, it will look brighter and whiter because the light travels through less atmosphere so less of it gets filtered out.
The red moon on the horizon is usually most noticeable on or near the full moon phase (as it was yesterday).
2006-09-08 21:59:19 · answer #5 · answered by borscht 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Big yellow, orange and red moons are caused by atmospheric lensing combined with the effects of pollution. With all of the forest fires and whatnot blowing in from out West, combined with all of the humidity from the tropical storms coming through, we're probably going to see lots of orange and red moons on the East Coast for the next few weeks. Enjoy!
2006-09-08 22:02:47 · answer #6 · answered by badkitty1969 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are referring to the full moon of September 7, you may have caught part of the total eclipse that occurred if you were in the right location. As sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere it is bent and reddened projecting an orange/red hue on to the moon.
2006-09-09 12:17:21 · answer #7 · answered by Search first before you ask it 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
we only see the moon because of the reflection of the sun. Depending on the time of year, the moon can be redish orange and look really neat!
2006-09-08 22:00:53 · answer #8 · answered by Hammer 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Because it's nearing harvest time. The moon is close to the earth and looks large and round and orange.
2006-09-08 22:01:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
THATS WHAT I WAS THINKING ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT!!!
COOL SOMEBODY THINKS LIKE ME!
(sorry I know caps are annoying )
Wow, it was an unbelievable sight to see. We always see it grayish, I loved watching it that night but I wondered if its symbolic with anything having to do with us here on Earth. Of course, an astronomer can answer this question but I look for the symbols, which is the meaning behind the surface.
2006-09-08 22:00:04 · answer #10 · answered by TruthSeeker 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋