The colors of the moon

_Elsa_

“Well Timmy, it’s not always orange,” says Odus. “The moon is mostly gray.”

“But why?,” asks Timmy.

Odus realizes that this curious little boy wants to know more about the colors. He searches for a good article with an easy explanation.

‘Every time you look at a picture of the Moon or look at it in the sky, you may be familiar with its very monotonous shades of grey. In fact, the surface of the Moon seems to be deprived of all the different colors that we are used to seeing every day on our planet. 

However, if you look closer, there may be a few other different shades up there. And this is because different minerals on the Moon’s surface reflect different colors.’

“Why is the Moon grey?, asks Timmy.

Odus realizes that he might not be able to understand this but he decides to try anyway.

‘Well, it’s mainly due to the fact that the moon surface is made of the following basic minerals:

Magnesium, Iron, Calcium, Silicon, Feldspar, and Pyroxene. Curiously, the common point of all these minerals is that, in the form of dust, they are all grey. The other thing is that, like all moons and planets, our moon doesn’t emit its own light… Moon light comes from the reflection of the light coming from the sun.’

“Why does the moon seem to change color in the sky?” asks Timmy. 

‘There are a few factors that can influence how we can interpret the color of the moon: 

• The location of the observer (is it heavily polluted?).

• The position of the Sun and Moon (low on the horizon or high in the sky?).

• The sensitivity of the observer’s eye can also filter what he perceives (remember that famous blue/gold dress that went viral on social media?).

This can lead people to see the Moon in different colors.’ (Source) 

Let’s continue - Why the moon changes color

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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