I've been told that though it was fully eclipsed, it was still illuminated from the sun's light filtered through the earth's atmosphere, the reason it was redish-rusty-ruddy is because the earth's atmosphere is much more polluted than the last time we had a full eclipse.
Is this true?
2007-03-04 09:35:36 · 15 answers · asked by somber_pieces 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Very true. Last night we had a full eclipse as the Earth came between the sun and the moon. Therefore causing the moon to be in the Earth's shadow. This is also a rarity because the moon norminally is above or below the Earth's plane. Alll of the dirt in the Atmosphere causes the moon to glow like a redish colour. Mostly due to Pollution. Hope this helps :)
2007-03-04 09:44:55 · answer #1 · answered by Sparrabeth Girl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First, the basics:
As we all know, the earth is tilted. This is why we have seasons.
The moon’s orbit around the earth, is above the equator, and is therefore tilted to the sun just as the earth is.
The moon is full when it is in opposition to the sun--that means it is on the opposite side of the earth than the sun. That is why the full moon first rises in the eastern sky near sunset, which is in the west.
During winter and summer, when the earth is tilted away or towards the sun, the moon’s orbit is also. But at the equinoxes, around March 21 and Sept 21, the earth is aligned with the sun over the equator. When the moon is at it’s opposition closest the equinox, it has a chance the it’s orbit will take it directly behind the earth, and a lunar eclipse may occur. The farther away from the equinox, the less likely a full eclipse will occur.
This is why lunar eclipses only happen two times a year.
As for the color. A normal full moon when it first rises is a redish orange. The light from the sun shines back at the earth white, but because when it is on the horizon, the light is coming through the layers of the atmosphere at an angle is bent, and the red is the primary color we see, but as it rises over head, and the light is not coming through the atmosphere at an extreme angle, it gradually appears whiter. This is the same reason the sun turns red and flattens as it sets.
During an eclipse, the sun’s light is bent through the atmosphere in the same manner as it enters, and again as it exits at the same angle, thus the light that does get to the moon and is reflected back is only red. On a very slight eclipse it appears redish near the total shadow, and whiter at the far edge.
The earth’s orbit around the sun is not circular, but slightly elliptical, closer in December than June. The moon’s orbit is also elliptical. When the moon is closest and the sun farthest, less light will hit the moon during the totality.
2007-03-04 10:32:30 · answer #2 · answered by mt_hopper 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. The red color is mainly due to refraction of the sunlight (behind the earth as seen from the moon). The atmosphere is dense enough that even at the middle of the eclipse light is bent around the earth, and there is enough light to brightly illuminate the moon with a red glow (think sunset).
In 1966 (I think) there was an extremely dark lunar eclipse, in which the moon all but disappeared during eclipse. This was said to be due to a lot of volcanic dust in the atmosphere.
Lunar eclipses are almost always an orange color.
However, the atmosphere of the earth IS less transparent than it used to be; astronauts that have been in space early on and then more recently have reported this. I think Wally Shirra pointed it out (he flew in the Mercury program in 1963 (Mercury 8), the Gemini Program in 1965 (Gemini 6), and in the Apollo program (1968; Apollo 7), all earth orbital missions.
2007-03-04 09:45:30 · answer #3 · answered by David A 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As the shadow of Earth is enormous compared to the moon, totallity is easier and observed by more people than a solar eclipse. When fully in the shadow, the moon takes on a reddish hue because the suns rays are bent by our atmosphere. JUST LIKE OUR SUNSETS ARE RED. The red light continues on past us and to the moon.
2007-03-04 13:08:09 · answer #4 · answered by orion_1812@yahoo.com 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It look reddish because the sun is diffracted around the earth's globe. It is red for the same reason sunset are reddish - because the light has to go through so much of our atmosphere and red is the only color that can make it through. It would be red even without the pollution.
2007-03-04 09:42:52 · answer #5 · answered by Twizard113 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lunar eclipse colors vary quite a bit from eclipse to eclipse and it is due to the condition of the Earth's atmosphere at the time of the eclipse. But last night's color was not unusual. That color has happened in many previous eclipses and it is no indication of increasing pollution.
2007-03-04 09:41:20 · answer #6 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. It was the same color the last eclipse. The color is due to light being scattered as it passes through the earths atmosphere on the way to the moon.
2007-03-04 09:39:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Residual sunlight is deflected towards the moon by the Earth's atmosphere, most of which is light in the red part of the spectrum.
It was last night; most easily seen in the Middle East, and was partial in the US.
2007-03-04 09:39:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was last night, and it did go red-ish. I'd not the pollution on. I assumed it was because red light got through the atmosphere better than any other colour (think of sunsets).
2007-03-04 09:39:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you're in america it was only a partial eclipse. europe saw it in its full beauty and we got a crappy angle on it, one you saw through the atmosphere in a way that it distorted the color and made it look rusty. yes there is pollution but its not the reason you didn't see a full eclipse.
2007-03-04 09:38:42 · answer #10 · answered by Pierce 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋