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Credit & Copyright: Valter Binotto
Explanation:
Why does a cloudy moon sometimes appear colorful?
The effect, called a lunar
corona,
is created by the quantum mechanical
diffraction of light around individual, similarly-sized water droplets in an
intervening
but mostly-transparent cloud.
Since light of different colors has
different wavelengths,
each color diffracts differently.
Lunar coronae are one of the few
quantum mechanical color effects that can be
easily seen with the
unaided
eye.
Solar coronae are also sometimes evident.
The featured image was taken last month from
Paris,
France.
The blue
beacon emanating from the
Eiffel Tower
did not affect the
colorful lunar corona.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon - corona
Publications with words: Moon - corona
See also:
- APOD: 2025 June 28 B Lunar Farside
- APOD: 2025 June 20 B Major Lunar Standstill 2024 2025
- APOD: 2025 June 18 B Space Station Silhouette on the Moon
- APOD: 2025 April 22 B Terminator Moon: A Moonscape of Shadows
- Moon Near the Edge
- APOD: 2025 April 8 B Moon Visits Sister Stars
- APOD: 2025 April 6 B Moonquakes Surprisingly Common