Question
What people sometimes call “moonlight” is actually sunlight reflecting off the moon's surface. The moon itself doesn't give off any light at all. But the moon can sometimes look blue, orange, or even red depending on the particles (like dust or pollution) in the atmosphere and the moon's location in the sky.
It takes approximately one month for the moon to travel around the Earth. Because of the moon's movement around the Earth and the reflected light from the sun, we see different portions of the moon's lit half at different times.
While out camping one spring night, you think the moon looks orange. What is one possible explanation?
A
The moon is in its orange phase.
B
The sun is orange, and the moon is reflecting its reddish light.
C
The moon itself is giving off an orange light.
D
The dust in the atmosphere makes the moon appear orange.
It takes approximately one month for the moon to travel around the Earth. Because of the moon's movement around the Earth and the reflected light from the sun, we see different portions of the moon's lit half at different times.
While out camping one spring night, you think the moon looks orange. What is one possible explanation?
A
The moon is in its orange phase.
B
The sun is orange, and the moon is reflecting its reddish light.
C
The moon itself is giving off an orange light.
D
The dust in the atmosphere makes the moon appear orange.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is:
D
The dust in the atmosphere makes the moon appear orange.
This is because particles like dust or pollution in the atmosphere can scatter light, causing the moon to appear in different colors, including orange.
D
The dust in the atmosphere makes the moon appear orange.
This is because particles like dust or pollution in the atmosphere can scatter light, causing the moon to appear in different colors, including orange.