As the Moon was rising tonight, it had an orange/yellow color. Can someone explain the significance of this?
2007-05-02 14:23:51 · 9 answers · asked by Ray 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The earth atmosphere absorbs light radiation in all frequencies, but some more then others. Longer light waves tend to go through, where shorter waves get shattered. Since more atmosphere is between your eye and the horizen, then between your eye and looking straight up, more light is shattered, leaving the red and orange frequncies for your eye to see.
2007-05-02 14:29:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Smoke from forest fires, dust from volcanoes or large earthquakes, unusual levels of pollution (either from more in the air or an inversion layer in the upper atmosphere keeping the pollution from being blown away by the wind) will all contribute to the moon (and the sun) appearing more red or orange than normal.
When Mt. Pinatubo blew up in 1991 and Mt. St. Helens in 1986, the smoke and dust in the air from those explosions tinted the sunsets and moon red and orange for months.
2007-05-02 22:02:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the Moon is low on the horizon, it's light has to go through more atmoshphere to get to us since it is coming in at an angle and not straight down. Water vapor in the atmosphere can bend some of the color components of the light so they don't get to us leaving yellow and orange.
2007-05-02 21:28:33 · answer #3 · answered by Zefram 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It has to do with dust in the earth's atmosphere. See the following for a very good description of why:
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/kids_space/orangemoon.html&edu=elem
2007-05-02 21:33:42 · answer #4 · answered by Kris 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can thank pollution for beautiful moon rises and pretty sunsets.
I think that's the ONLY good thing about pollution...
2007-05-02 21:28:27 · answer #5 · answered by ZZ9 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Pollution and moisture in the as well as bending of the light by the atmosphere.
2007-05-02 21:27:43 · answer #6 · answered by Gene 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Something in the atmosphere, it has nothing to do with the moon.
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lunar eclipses are black, due to the moon blocking the sun, and the moon is made up of lunar soil that is reflective and is gray,(looks white due to reflection during night)
2007-05-02 21:28:24 · answer #7 · answered by 99 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Just a light illusion. No conspiracy
2007-05-02 21:33:44 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Might be a partial lunar eclipse.
2007-05-02 21:26:07 · answer #9 · answered by aximili12hp 4 · 0⤊ 5⤋