Why the moon changes color

_Elsa_

Odus wants to share more facts about the moon’s colors so he continues his googling until he finds a specific article The changing colours of the moon explained.

“The moon can be red, blue and orange,” says Odus. “You were asking about the orange moon before so let me explain that first.”

 

‘This apparent colour change usually occurs when the moon is very low on the horizon. Any light emitted by a celestial object that is too low on the horizon will have to pass through much more of the atmosphere to reach you than if it were just above your head in the sky. This means that the light passes through many more particles, gases and pollution, which explains the orange/yellowish glow. 

“Why is the moon all those colors?” asks Timmy. 

Ron is rolling his eyes. Will his son ever stop asking why? Odus is very patient and Ron begins to understand why they say that owls are wise. Look at all that Odus knows! 

“Why is the moon red?,” asks Timmy. 

‘Once the moon has reached a total eclipse, it will appear red to observers on Earth and not black. This is because some of the residual sunlight from our planet’s atmosphere is scattered towards it. This phenomenon is also known as “Blood Moon“. 

“Why is the moon blue?” asks Timmy. 

‘The blue moon is very rare (hence the famous saying) because it usually requires an enormous amount of dust and smoke in the air. So the moon does not literally change colour, it is simply all the particles in the air that make the moon appear blue in the night sky. This usually happens after forest fires or volcanic eruptions.’ (Source) 

“Are you ok with what I am saying Timmy?” asks Odus. 

Timmy nods his head in agreement. He looks like he’s ready for a nap. He rests his head on Ron’s shoulder and a couple of minutes later Timmy is out!  

“I think he might understand some of these facts but I’m not sure that he can understand all of it at his age,” says Ron. “But I am loving all of this. Please tell me more.” 

Let’s continue - The 8 phases of the moon

Start at the beginning - Odus answers some why questions about the moon

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Start at the beginning of the main story – Why … But WHY?

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