APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

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APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by APOD Robot » Sun May 15, 2022 4:05 am

Image Colors of the Moon

Explanation: What color is the Moon? It depends on the night. Outside of the Earth's atmosphere, the dark Moon, which shines by reflected sunlight, appears a magnificently brown-tinged gray. Viewed from inside the Earth's atmosphere, though, the moon can appear quite different. The featured image highlights a collection of apparent colors of the full moon documented by one astrophotographer over 10 years from different locations across Italy. A red or yellow colored moon usually indicates a moon seen near the horizon. There, some of the blue light has been scattered away by a long path through the Earth's atmosphere, sometimes laden with fine dust. A blue-colored moon is more rare and can indicate a moon seen through an atmosphere carrying larger dust particles. What created the purple moon is unclear -- it may be a combination of several effects. The last image captures the total lunar eclipse of 2018 July -- where the moon, in Earth's shadow, appeared a faint red -- due to light refracted through air around the Earth. Today there is not only another full moon but a total lunar eclipse visible to observers in North and South America -- an occurrence that may lead to some unexpected lunar colorings.

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Ann
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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by Ann » Sun May 15, 2022 5:38 am


Nice picture, Marcella! :D

But what is the "true" average color of the Moon?

Could it be this? ███

What do the rest of you think?

And... what the the true average color of the Earth? No, I'll change my mind. There is no true average color of the Earth, because the Earth is a planet of many colors. But... as seen from space? There is a lot of white from the clouds, of course, but what about the color of the oceans as seen from space?

Maybe this? ███

(Special thanks to Victor Borun for providing me with rectangles that I could colorize.)

Ann
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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by heehaw » Sun May 15, 2022 11:01 am

Reminds me of the fellow on the tour through a cave. The tour conductor shone a UV light on some of the rocks, which glowed eerily. A tour member complained that that was not the true appearance of the rock. So the tour conductor turned out the lights, and said "THAT is the TRUE appearance".

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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by orin stepanek » Sun May 15, 2022 1:07 pm

Ann wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 5:38 am

Nice picture, Marcella! :D

But what is the "true" average color of the Moon?

Could it be this? ███

What do the rest of you think?

And... what the the true average color of the Earth? No, I'll change my mind. There is no true average color of the Earth, because the Earth is a planet of many colors. But... as seen from space? There is a lot of white from the clouds, of course, but what about the color of the oceans as seen from space?

Maybe this? ███

(Special thanks to Victor Borun for providing me with rectangles that I could colorize.)

Ann
Ann in my own opinion; i believe if you have a pile of ashes; that would nave the same color! :mrgreen:

Today's photo reminds me somewhat of a painters color palette!
.jpg
Orin; ya forgot me!
GettyImages-157531381-1024x746.jpg
sorry; here you are!
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Last edited by orin stepanek on Sun May 15, 2022 1:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by Chris Peterson » Sun May 15, 2022 1:48 pm

Ann wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 5:38 am

Nice picture, Marcella! :D

But what is the "true" average color of the Moon?

Could it be this? ███

What do the rest of you think?

And... what the the true average color of the Earth? No, I'll change my mind. There is no true average color of the Earth, because the Earth is a planet of many colors. But... as seen from space? There is a lot of white from the clouds, of course, but what about the color of the oceans as seen from space?

Maybe this? ███

(Special thanks to Victor Borun for providing me with rectangles that I could colorize.)

Ann
Well, FWIW, this is the average color of today's image (less the black background).
_
MoonColors_Pace_960_avg.jpg
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Chris

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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by Ann » Sun May 15, 2022 2:34 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:48 pm
Ann wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 5:38 am

Nice picture, Marcella! :D

But what is the "true" average color of the Moon?

Could it be this? ███

What do the rest of you think?

And... what the the true average color of the Earth? No, I'll change my mind. There is no true average color of the Earth, because the Earth is a planet of many colors. But... as seen from space? There is a lot of white from the clouds, of course, but what about the color of the oceans as seen from space?

Maybe this? ███

(Special thanks to Victor Borun for providing me with rectangles that I could colorize.)

Ann
Well, FWIW, this is the average color of today's image (less the black background).
_
Thanks, Chris!

When I was looking for possible Moon colors I found a color similar to the one you posted, but it looked too red to me. But I do know that the Moon is not only reddish but also very dark.

Your color is probably the correct one! (By the way, how did you create that color and how did you post it?

Ann
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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by Chris Peterson » Sun May 15, 2022 3:08 pm

Ann wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 2:34 pm
Chris Peterson wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:48 pm
Ann wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 5:38 am

Nice picture, Marcella! :D

But what is the "true" average color of the Moon?

Could it be this? ███

What do the rest of you think?

And... what the the true average color of the Earth? No, I'll change my mind. There is no true average color of the Earth, because the Earth is a planet of many colors. But... as seen from space? There is a lot of white from the clouds, of course, but what about the color of the oceans as seen from space?

Maybe this? ███

(Special thanks to Victor Borun for providing me with rectangles that I could colorize.)

Ann
Well, FWIW, this is the average color of today's image (less the black background).
_
Thanks, Chris!

When I was looking for possible Moon colors I found a color similar to the one you posted, but it looked too red to me. But I do know that the Moon is not only reddish but also very dark.

Your color is probably the correct one! (By the way, how did you create that color and how did you post it?
Of course, this isn't the "true" color in any reasonable sense, because it is made up of images of the Moon that are mostly distorted by atmospheric conditions. It's just the average color of all the different Moons in this APOD. Color, being a physiological phenomenon, is difficult to pin down. The best way to see the "true" color of the Moon would be to view it from far enough away that it was unresolved (so basically a point source) and then blur your eyes so it was spread out into a blob on your retina.

I did something like that here. I removed the background (by making it transparent), then sized the image down to a single pixel, then sized it back up to the original dimensions. So as posted, it's just another JPEG image.

The easiest way to come close to the true color (ignoring the fact that any image will distort colors somewhat) would be to take a picture of the Moon on a clear, dry night when it was close to the zenith, then do this trick of shrinking it to a single pixel and back. The result would be just a little warmer than reality, since a bit of blue would be scattered out, but I think it would be pretty close.
Chris

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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by johnnydeep » Sun May 15, 2022 3:33 pm

Chris wrote:
I did something like that here. I removed the background (by making it transparent), then sized the image down to a single pixel, then sized it back up to the original dimensions. So as posted, it's just another JPEG image.
Pretty neat trick. Pixinsight? I wonder if GIMP can do such a thing...
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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by Chris Peterson » Sun May 15, 2022 3:35 pm

johnnydeep wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 3:33 pm Chris wrote:
I did something like that here. I removed the background (by making it transparent), then sized the image down to a single pixel, then sized it back up to the original dimensions. So as posted, it's just another JPEG image.
Pretty neat trick. Pixinsight? I wonder if GIMP can do such a thing...
Photoshop. But any tool that will give you a layer with transparency can do this.
Chris

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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by JohnD » Sun May 15, 2022 6:16 pm

Yes, even the BBC Radio 4 News have been announcing the lunar eclipse, even though it's maximal at 0430 here. And announcing that it will be a 'blood' moon, and even worse a 'super-moon', "because it will appear larger than normal". D'ye see what all this fantasising and naming of moons is doing? Everyone who wakes up early to see it will say, "Oooooooooooh, it IS bigger!" as the Moon will be near setting and they don't know of the Horizon Effect, so these canards will be come gospel for ever now. Sigh.

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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by orin stepanek » Mon May 16, 2022 1:01 am

I was thing actual color; that's why I came up with ash! :mrgreen:
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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by Ann » Mon May 16, 2022 4:01 am

orin stepanek wrote: Mon May 16, 2022 1:01 am I was thing actual color; that's why I came up with ash! :mrgreen:
Right you are, Orin. In a way the Moon reminds me of ash. You know, dry and lifeless. The regolith - the soft fine-grained upper layer of "sand" of the Moon - is a bit like a thick layer of soft crumbling ash that has been left behind after a house was burnt down.

But the Moon is more reddish and really darker than typical ash, which can be quite whitish in color.

Click to play embedded YouTube video.
Astronaut Eugene Cernan sampling the regolith of the Moon.

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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by JohnD » Sat May 21, 2022 3:25 pm

Listen all you lunatics (that is, of course, students of the Moon. I mean no slur on your sanity)

Do you not realise the damage that harping on about "Blood Moons" and all that does to weak minds? Have a look at this website, that of a new TV channel, published by the UK 's respected ITV (Independent TeleVision, the first commercial channel in the UK) https://woo.itv.com/posts/everything-yo ... ar-eclipse

After three short paragraphs about the astronomy of a lunar eclipse, it goes completely lunatic. And this time I mean insane. Quote:

"Enough science, what does a blood moon mean in astrology?
Astrologically, a Super Blood Moon is said by mystics to be three times more energetically potent than a full moon due to its closer proximity to Earth
."

Etc.Etc.Etc, on and on. "make room for new beginnings and let go of everything holding you back to reach your full potential. Some astrologers and mystics advise not to manifest or perform any rituals on a lunar eclipse. As the moon is blocked, it is said that its energy can’t be used as it usually would in a full moon. "

You see what you are doing by pandering to the foolish? And I mean that too - "pander, to gratify or indulge an immoral or distasteful desire or taste. Please, Apod, forsake these fringe fantasies, and tell us about astronomy and science!

JOhn

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Re: APOD: Colors of the Moon (2022 May 15)

Post by johnnydeep » Sat May 21, 2022 3:42 pm

JohnD wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 3:25 pm Listen all you lunatics (that is, of course, students of the Moon. I mean no slur on your sanity)

Do you not realise the damage that harping on about "Blood Moons" and all that does to weak minds? Have a look at this website, that of a new TV channel, published by the UK 's respected ITV (Independent TeleVision, the first commercial channel in the UK) https://woo.itv.com/posts/everything-yo ... ar-eclipse

After three short paragraphs about the astronomy of a lunar eclipse, it goes completely lunatic. And this time I mean insane. Quote:

"Enough science, what does a blood moon mean in astrology?
Astrologically, a Super Blood Moon is said by mystics to be three times more energetically potent than a full moon due to its closer proximity to Earth
."

Etc.Etc.Etc, on and on. "make room for new beginnings and let go of everything holding you back to reach your full potential. Some astrologers and mystics advise not to manifest or perform any rituals on a lunar eclipse. As the moon is blocked, it is said that its energy can’t be used as it usually would in a full moon. "

You see what you are doing by pandering to the foolish? And I mean that too - "pander, to gratify or indulge an immoral or distasteful desire or taste. Please, Apod, forsake these fringe fantasies, and tell us about astronomy and science!

JOhn
Come on now. With a site that starts with "woo", did you expect to find a lot of sanity there? Maybe iTV just wanted a place to capitalize on the clicks of the sanity-challenged and decided to "woo" them into the fold.
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