Why is the moon white?

Because your eyes aren’t that great at brightness.

As many people have mentioned, the Moon is actually quite dark grey:

However, it sure looks white to me. So what gives?


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OK, look at this picture. Which square is darker, A or B? They’re the same color! Don’t believe me:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wik...

It turns out we determine brightness in a very relative way. Square A looks dark because it’s surrounded by lightness. Square B looks light because it’s surrounded by darkness.

Sound familiar?

The moon is quite dark, but it’s significantly brighter than the night sky. As a result, your brain assumes it’s actually quite bright, when really it’s not.

You can really see this during a lunar eclipse:

See how white the right side looks? See how dark (and red…that’s from the Earth’s atmosphere…you can ignore that) the left side looks?

Relative illumination makes a huge difference in our perception of color and brightness.


This information was taken from Quora. Click here to view the original post.

Do you see the Moon as a white or grey body? Tell us in the comments below!

#Science #Nature #Quora

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What are your thoughts on this subject?
46 Comments
karen twirly
I still don't see square B the same shade as square A. Even the link didn't do it for me.
9
Apr 25, 2019 9:37PM
Georgia Kemp
The moon is grey. Never thought of it as white. Must be a yankee thing.
0
Jan 13, 2024 10:19PM
Liz Turner
Interesting, never thought about the colour before
0
Apr 1, 2023 4:28PM
Jeff Carter
Nothing to do with green cheese, then…😊
2
Sep 1, 2022 5:24AM
Ray Weeks
I must be thick but I didn't grasp what the attachment was trying to explain. Didn't understand at all.
2
Aug 16, 2022 7:45PM
Hephzivah Israel
Thank you .. itnteresting to know
0
May 31, 2022 4:18AM
Ken Lloyd
I was always told that the reflection of the sun made it look white that's why when we get an eclipse the shadow of the earth makes it dark
3
Oct 12, 2021 11:49PM
bblanca
Nice to learn all this things and hard to believe without a proof. Thanks.
0
Apr 1, 2020 8:05PM
Marianne Frederick Halterman
Usually white, if there is a dark sky. Grey if it's early evening or early morning and there is a blue sky.
1
Dec 4, 2019 7:52PM
jch
jch
I learnt something today. Now I understand why the moon appears white.
0
Aug 11, 2019 1:36PM
Denise Lane
David Eubanks, the sun IS A STAR!
1
Jul 12, 2019 6:56PM
Anne James
Grey definitely. 🌚
0
May 28, 2019 5:49PM
robert karel
It’s all Greek to me!
0
Apr 8, 2019 3:57AM
Eileen Dunn
Thanks ,I’d not thought about it before..my recently painted cottage ,looks a different colour when the sun shines on it.
0
Mar 21, 2019 5:35PM
Marian Gompper
I think it is because blue was already taken.
1
Mar 10, 2019 8:22PM

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