Moonlight source
The moon radiates light; Because it reflects the rays of the sun falling on it, and although it appears very bright, it reflects only 3-12% of the sunlight falling on it, and therefore the moon is considered one of the darkest celestial bodies, and appears bright only at night. Due to its close proximity to the Earth, the surface of the Moon consists of bright areas (in English: Highlands) and dark areas called Maria (in English: Maria), and these areas vary in color according to the rocks that make them up, which differ in their composition and age. It is worth noting that the rate of rotation of the Moon around... Its axis is equal to its rotation rate around the Earth, which makes the same side of it always facing the Earth, while the far side of the Moon that we cannot see from the Earth is called the dark side.
Mechanism of light reflection from the moon
When sunlight falls on a rough surface such as the moon, the light is reflected in all directions in a process called random reflection (in English: diffuse reflectivity), and the intensity of the moon’s illumination depends on three factors:
- Body light: (In English: Albedo), represents the amount of light that a celestial body reflects in any direction relative to the total amount of light falling on it, and the greater this ratio, the greater the body’s radiation.
- Total amount of light falling on the object: Celestial bodies that receive more sunlight radiate more.
- The distance between the object and the observer's eye: The planets and moons closest to Earth reflect a greater amount of light to it, and thus appear to the observer on Earth as more radiant.
Earth light phenomenon
Earthshine can be defined as a phenomenon that can sometimes be seen with the naked eye, as the unlit side of the moon appears with dim lighting, as a result of the reflection of sunlight from the Earth, and this phenomenon occurs days before and after the new moon phase.
Read also:How many moons does the planet Mercury have
