Why is the moon orange. Why is the moon sometimes orange and big. Does the blood moon somehow affect a person
Very observant people must have noticed that the moon does not always have the same color, and even its size can sometimes vary. However, not many people know why the Moon changes these parameters. And today we will figure it out.
To begin with, it is worth saying that our satellite, of course, does not change its color and dimensions. The fact that we have the opportunity to observe it in different forms is only an optical illusion.
Why is the moon yellow
Quite often we have the opportunity to observe the moon in yellow, and the first question we will deal with is why the moon is yellow.
It is important to understand that the original shade of our natural companion is white-gray. As you know, the light emitted by the Moon is only a reflection of the sun's rays from the specific surface of our satellite. Immediately after reflection on the surface of the Moon, the rays are sent to the Earth.
Here they are met by our atmosphere - the invisible armor of the planet. It is in the atmosphere that the rays directed to the surface of the Earth from the Moon are scattered. And short waves, as you know, scatter faster. Blue colors are among them. As for the yellow and red hues related to long waves, their scattering process is more complicated, which is why we have the opportunity to observe the Moon in yellow, and sometimes even red.
The same answer will be to the question of why the Sun is white and the Moon is yellow. However, indeed the color of our natural star is close to white, and after passing through the atmosphere we often see it yellowish.
By the way, with regard to the yellow color of the Moon, the most likely possibility of observing a satellite in this range is on humid days, after rain. This is because conditions of high humidity and pressure contribute to the absorption of light waves and the preservation of the yellow tint of the moon.
Why is the moon big and yellow
If we figured out the question of the yellow color of the Moon, then we also need to tell something about the change in the size of the natural satellite of our planet.
The fact is that during the movement of the Moon from the zenith to the horizon, the actual distance to our satellite grows by the size of our planet, which is why the satellite may seem much smaller.
As for the direct visual effect, when the Moon is large and yellow, it can be observed during high humidity, as well as the Moon's stay at the "zenith".
Why is the moon red?
The answer "Because the world is about to end" is not correct. It's all about scattering rays of sunlight. Usually the Moon reflects the full spectrum of colors coming from the Sun. And when they mix, we see a bright white disk in the sky. But if part of the spectrum is scattered, passing through the Earth's atmosphere, only one dominant color remains visible. And the most persistent shade is red.
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Moon close to the horizon
One of the most common cases is when the Moon hangs low in the sky. This happens immediately after its sunrise or before sunset. That is, the same thing happens as during sunrise and sunset. The light from the Moon, like the sun, passes through the layers of the atmosphere, and the closer it is to the horizon, the greater the area of "obstacles" it must overcome. In this case, part of the reflected light is scattered, which is why the Earth's satellite appears red.
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polluted atmosphere
Particles hovering in the atmosphere can change the color of the moon that we see. Especially a lot of them become from forest fires or volcanic eruptions, then they partially darken the light from the Sun and the Moon. Blue and green spectra are scattered, while red passes through the barrier much easier. So if the Moon hangs high in the sky and appears red, it may be due to polluted air.
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Moon eclipse
An incident that has captured the imagination of more than one generation: a blood-red satellite during a lunar eclipse. This happens necessarily on a full moon: the moon sets in the shadow of the Earth. This shadow, also called umber, darkens the moon's surface.
In this position, only red light reaches the Moon, which manages to break through the atmosphere of our planet - again, the point is the scattering of the rays. Reflected from the surface of the moon, red light is visible to the naked eye. The effect is enhanced if the Moon is hanging low on the horizon.
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Why exactly red?
When entering the Earth's atmosphere, sunlight collides with many particles that are smaller than the wavelength of light. This causes the rays to scatter. However, not all colors scatter with the same intensity. Shorter wavelength colors, such as violet, scatter more than longer wavelength colors, such as orange and red.
However, some of the blue spectrum colors do make it to the moon. Sometimes at the very beginning of the eclipse and at its end, a blue or turquoise rim can be seen on the surface of the planet.
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Why is the red moon paler than usual?
Do not forget that often the Moon turns red during an eclipse - the satellite is in the shadow of the Earth, which dims the brightness of the glow. In addition, depending on the state of the earth's atmosphere, the color of its surface can take on various shades of red, orange or golden. The color of the rim that appears at the beginning and end of the eclipse can also change.
The color range and brightness of the Moon during an eclipse is measured using the Danjon Scale. It consists of five points: from 0 (Moon is almost invisible) to 4 (very bright red or orange eclipse, a blue rim immediately appears).
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When can the red moon be seen?
Lunar eclipses pass in tetrads (series): 4 in a row, with a short break between them - several months. But between tetrads can take more than 10 years. The first tetrad of the 21st century took place in 2003-2004. The second - in 2014 - 2015. The last red lunar eclipse of the second tetrad happened on September 28 this year ... oops! Already missed.
The next eclipse will open the third tetrad and it will happen on April 25, 2032.
Well, if you have neither the strength nor the desire to wait 17 years, then you can just watch the video and find out how it was.
In one of last year's issues of the magazine, in the "Correspondence with readers" section, an article "Brown Moon" was printed. But why does the moon change color so often?
E. Kapustin (Simferopol).
The moon has long been associated with silver. However, the moon has a very pure white color only during the day. This is because the blue light scattered by the sky is added to the yellowish light of the moon itself. As the blue color of the sky weakens after sunset, it becomes more and more yellow and at some point pure yellow, and then, at the end of twilight, again yellow-white. The rest of the night, the Moon retains a light yellowish color, exactly like the daytime Sun. On very clear winter nights, when the full moon is high, its color appears whiter, but near the horizon it becomes as orange and red as the setting sun.
If the Moon is surrounded by small purple-red clouds, its color becomes almost green-yellow, and if the clouds are orange-pink, then the Moon turns blue-green. Moreover, these contrasting colors appear more clearly for the lunar crescent than for full moon.
With candles, for example, giving a reddish tint, the color of the moon also appears greenish blue. This contrast is especially evident if the light sources are not too strong, for example, if you simultaneously observe the reflection of the Moon and a gas flame in water. If you first look at the orange flame of a fire for about half an hour, and then at the Moon, then the Moon will acquire a bluish tint.
And indeed: sometimes you can hear the expression "blue moon". However, this is often called the second full moon of the month. Actually, the full moon does not always happen twice in the same month. Recall that the frequency of change lunar phases approximately 29.5 days. Therefore, the second full moon in a month can only occur if the first was on the 1st of that month. For example, February can never be a "blue moon month".
Where did this unusual name come from? Hard to say. It is possible that it appeared in one of the months of two full moons shortly after 1883. That year there was a terrible eruption of the Krakatoa volcano - one of the most catastrophic in the entire annalistic history of mankind. A huge amount of volcanic ash and dust was thrown into the Earth's atmosphere. And for three years, the amount of solar energy reaching the surface of our planet was about 10% less than usual. Just at this time, the bluish-green color of the Sun and Moon was noted.
Or maybe some observer once noted near the setting full moon on the second full moon of the month a rare phenomenon of the so-called green ray? (See "Science and Life" Nos. 7, 12, 1980; No. 11, 1989; No. 8, 1993)
When the Moon and Sun are low on the horizon, they appear yellow, orange, and even blood red. This is due to the phenomenon of refraction of light rays in the Earth's atmosphere and the state of the atmosphere itself.
The surface of the Moon is generally light gray in color, although there are certain parts that are composed of dark gray rock. The moon has a different color when observed from its surface, from space and from the Earth.
The surface of the moon is mostly light gray rock, and the dark gray spots that can be seen on the moon are volcanic craters. The more titanium present on the surface of the moon, the darker its color. Some areas of the moon's surface are brownish-gray, while others are closer to white.
The color of the moon, which can be seen in pictures from space, most closely resembles the true color of our satellite. Due to less reflection from the Sun during daylight hours, the Moon often appears white during daylight hours. At night, the moon tends to have a yellow tint. Depending on the time of year and the various cycles of the Earth, the Moon can take on a darker yellow hue, which makes it appear orange. This shade of the satellite is most common in the autumn season.
The Mayan tribe called the blood-colored Moon the daughter of the ruler of the underworld, but her appearance was perceived as a good sign: on this day special people were born, endowed with unprecedented strength and intelligence.
Other beliefs are less optimistic:
- The Slavs believed that if the moon is red, you need to wait for frosty nights or showers that will spoil the harvest. Even if today was a hot day, frost should be expected at night. ("The red moon will spoil the seeds").
- The African peoples forbade their fellow tribesmen to look at the bloody moon, as they believed that it could bring trouble not only to a specific person, but to the entire tribe.
- In the Middle Ages, such an event was perceived as a signal of the invasion of witches.
- According to the Bible, if a red moon appears in the sky and a solar eclipse occurs at the same time, this will be the beginning of the Apocalypse.
Esotericists and sorcerers used this phenomenon to conduct magical rituals. This trend continues today.
What does it really mean?
Let's start with the fact that the Moon, as an astronomical body, is not a star and does not emit light. From Earth, we can see it from sunlight, which is reflected from its surface.
But, as we know, white is the totality of all the colors of the rainbow, which can only be seen when rays of light pass through a prism. It is precisely such a “prism” that the Earth’s atmosphere becomes for us, passing through which the light reflected by the lunar surface we most often see white.
However, in some cases, the Moon takes on a red-orange or red color. But why exactly red? Because, passing through a polluted, “opaque” atmosphere, almost all colors are scattered (especially blue and green), and only red shades of the spectrum reach the Earth.
This becomes possible if:
The moon is near the horizon
In this position, the rays that are reflected from the Moon pass through many "obstacles" (air, vapor, dust) and almost all are scattered (except for red).
This happens every morning and every evening, however, due to clouds and intense sunlight, we do not always see a large rising moon and cannot always distinguish its color. At night, the satellite rises above the horizon, and we see it as white.
polluted atmosphere
With a volcanic eruption, a strong forest fire or smog, you can also see a red moon. Even if it hangs directly above the ground, the sun's rays reflected by it will scatter through the smoke and only the red part of the spectrum will reach human eyes.
total lunar eclipse
This is the name of the event when the moon hides in the shadow of the Earth. During an eclipse, the sun's rays continue to hit the lunar surface from space, but because of its position, they will appear red.
During a lunar eclipse, the Earth's satellite usually looks quite pale, and its colors can change from golden to blood red. This phenomenon rarely happens: the next one needs to wait only on April 25, 2032 (but 3 more such eclipses will follow it within 1.5 years). It will not be possible to see it from every point of our planet.
Thus, the color of the moon never changes, and how we perceive it depends only on its position above the horizon and the level of pollution of the earth's atmosphere.
Does the blood moon somehow affect a person?
Although scientists do not see any mysticism in this phenomenon, statistics show that when the color of the earth's satellite changes:
- the number of accidents on the roads is increasing (especially at night),
- some people become angry and irritable,
- the condition of the mentally ill and unbalanced people worsens.
After all, depending on its position, the Earth's magnetic field changes, as we know thanks to the existence of ebb and flow in the ocean. And since a person is 80% water, he is also exposed to the invisible forces of the cosmos.
Video: why is the moon red and what does it look like?
