1.) How might the color of the moon change when viewed from earth? What are the
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Question
1.) How might the color of the moon change when viewed from earth? What are the different examples of the different colors the moon can exhibit?2.) What are some of the colors that other planets display when viewed through a telescope? What about nearby stars? What determines the colors of each?
1.) How might the color of the moon change when viewed from earth? What are the different examples of the different colors the moon can exhibit?
2.) What are some of the colors that other planets display when viewed through a telescope? What about nearby stars? What determines the colors of each?
1.) How might the color of the moon change when viewed from earth? What are the different examples of the different colors the moon can exhibit?
2.) What are some of the colors that other planets display when viewed through a telescope? What about nearby stars? What determines the colors of each?
Explanation / Answer
When seen from earth, the moon can exhibit a variety of colours like red, blue, yellow, orange, grey, white etc.
As we all know that moon does not have its own light and depends upon the sun for light. Therefore the position of the sun has a marked effect on the colours of the moon.
During a total lunar eclipse, the earth prevents the sunlight from getting on to the moon, so it appears red.
Dust particles in the earth's atmosphere can also affect the colour of the moon. For example dust particles having size more than 0.7-micron cause the scattering of the light coming from the moon, causing the moon to appear blue.
When the moon is closer to the earth, the shorter wavelength blue portion of the light coming from the moon is scattered by the atmosphere, due to which the moon appears yellow or orange.
2. The colours displayed by different planets and stars are due to lights of different wavelengths. For example, Mars appears red, mercury appears grey, the earth appears blue due to white clouds, Jupiter is orange and Saturn is pale gold.
The different colours of stars are due to their different temperatures. Stars with less temperature appear red and those with higher temperature are blue or white. From cool to hot, the colours can appear red, orange, yellow, green and blue.
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