Image: NASA Goddard
Excerpted from Deep space in 100 Colors: Strange and Wondrous Colors from Science and Nature by Tyler Thrasher and Terry Mudge. September 24, 2024, Sasquatch Books. Released with consent.
The red of a blood moon is the best example of how 2 different bodies can have an extreme yet short-lived impact on one another. A couple of things need to line up perfect for people to delight in the vibrant screen of a blood moon, beginning with the reality that Earth is thankfully simply big enough to cast the moon entirely in its shadow under the ideal conditions, likewise called a complete lunar eclipse. The 2nd essential element is our environment. A blood moon is the outcome of Rayleigh scattering, a phenomenon likewise accountable for our dawns and sundowns. When sunshine travels through Earth’s environment, particles in the air soak up particular wavelengths of light, leaving just yellows, oranges, and reds.
White sunshine, spread by Earth’s environment, is diffracted into a circular rainbow around Earth. At the peak of a
lunar eclipse, the moon moves into the center of this circle and red wavelengths cover its surface area. Image: Courtesy of Sasquatch Books
When an overall lunar eclipse takes place, radiant residues from Earth’s environment stretch through area and arrive on the surface area of the moon. As the light stretches further away from us, the wavelengths likewise extend, considering that light a red look. The quality of our environment can likewise work to change the look of a blood moon, such as volcanic eruptions deepening the red.
Blood Moon. Image: © lukszczepanski/Adobe Stock (Courtesy of Sasquatch Books) lukszczepanski– stock.adobe.com
If you ‘d like to learn more from Deep space in 100 Colors: Odd and Wondrous Colors from Science and Naturetake a look at Animals just see in black and white and 5 other color misconceptions.