why is the moon red at times ??(only when it's full)?
87052
The orange and red tints that the Sun and Moon sometimes take on are caused by the particles in the Earth's atmosphere. \n\nWhen light (or more specifically, packets of light called photons) from an astronomical object passes through the Earth's atmosphere, it scatters off of particles in the latter. It turns out that these particles like to scatter blue light more than they do red light; so "bluer" photons (those with shorter wavelengths) tend to get scattered, and "redder" photons (those with longer wavelengths) pass through. So, astronomical objects look redder from Earth than they would from space, because the redder wavelengths from the objects penetrate the atmosphere better than the bluer ones. Incidentally, this is why the sky is blue: blue light from the Sun is scattered in all directions on its way to the Earth. \n\nBut how does this explain the occasional redness of the Moon or the Sun? Your son may have noticed that they always occur when the Sun or Moon is close to the horizon. If you think about it, sunlight or moonlight must travel through the maximum amount of atmosphere to get to your eyes when the Sun or Moon is on the horizon (remember that that atmosphere is a sphere around the Earth). So, you expect *more* blue light to be scattered from Sunlight or Moonlight when the Sun or Moon is on the horizon than when it is, say, overhead; this makes the object look redder. In other words, the Sun or Moon tends to look orange or red when it is rising or setting because that's the time when the light has to travel through the most atmosphere to get to you. The effect is exacerbated when there are thin clouds in front or behind the Sun or Moon: the clouds themselves often glow bright pink as well, because they are so good at scattering blue light
1079025
no it is a reflection of the suns light.  That is why you can still see the moon during the day soemtimes.  It is still getting light from the sun.
909206
It's new moon.... actually right now it's only 1% full. Wait till tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, beautiful sight, a thin sliver... gorgeous. Enjoy!
451129
It's all an illusion. The periterrestrial sky has tiny landmarks to make the moon look big. In the higher heaves all you see is sky, which shows the true tiny size of the moon.
1093886
The moon's light is actually just a reflection.  The surface of the moon reflects the suns light.  That is why you can have half moons, quarter moons, etc.  The moon itself doesn't produce any light.
31265
Frosty is right, Otisabi is wrong. The round shape of the atmosphere bends the light. You also get a reddish taint to the moons colour when it's close to the horizon. This is due to the red part of the light reflected from the moon hitting your eye, while the rest is into space. If you've ever looked into a round fishbowl you'll see how it distorts light to make things look larger.
429788
The sun radiates light, thus it is emitted all around it. The moon reflects light from the sun, thus only the area facing the sun will be light.
536496
When the light from the sun hits the moon, it is reflected to us which causes "Moonlight". This is the same light and source that allows us to see a bit of the shadows on the moon. \n\nThe suns and moons position in relation to one another is also what gives us the phases of the moon.  When the moon is directly opposite of the sun (with Earth not being directly in the line of sight) this gives us our full moon. \n\nIn short, there is only one type of light on the moon, the suns light hitting the moons surface.
416298
A full moon can form a rainbow - usually called a "moonbow". It looks kind of grey though.
330323
what? I don't think the moon appears stationary since it travels across the sky and goes through phases.\nWhat?
1014572
A Red moon or sun could mean that the air is full of smoke, so it may indicate a bushfire is on the go somewhere, or as previously stated a red moon could be a result of a lunar eclipse.\n\nA good indicator of an earthquate is big cracks in the ground and lot's of collapsed buildings, but that's always after the event.
381321
It is a valid observation.  Ask anybody that works in a hospital or bar.  I used to work in a bar, so I know people are definitely different on a full moon.  The moon affects the water and tides.  Our bodies are made up of 2/3 water.  So we would be affected, too.
411513
Dust in the upper atmosphere of Earth can make the moon appear to be yellow or orange, even red. The effect is strongest when the moon is near the horizon.
410766
Because of dust in the air.  The angle is the same year round.  What makes the yellow moon look yellow is the amount of dust in the air, and at harvest time it is caused by increased agricultural activity.\n\nVolcanic dust is smaller and higher and can make the moon look blue.
970611
The color! When the moon is more yellow than white, it is considered to be a "bad moon" when the lunatics are more likely to come out and cause problems.\n\n\n(lunatics derives from the latin word Luna which is the moon, lunatics are followers of the moon that traditionally would cause havoc and chaos only during the full moon)
668197
It's an optical illusion which is commonly referred to as the "Moon Illusion", meaning it's true for the moon also...\n\nThe most common misconception is that it is because you are unconsciously comparing the Sun to foreground objects like trees and houses, or even the horizon itself, and that makes the Sun look bigger than when it is all alone in the sky. This turns out to be false. As it happens, there are already excellent descriptions of this effect on the web. Probably the best is by Donald Simanek, Professor of Physics at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, and another very good one is by Carl Wenning, from the Illinois State University.\n\nI've also see some nonsense about it being because it's seen through a "thicker slice of atmosphere", which if it were true it would make the Sun look smaller!\n\nIn addition, you have probably seen that the rising or setting Moon looks very red. This is the same reason the sky is blue...
377468
The moon is red some days because of the filtering of sunlight from earth's atmosphere.