Book 7, Question 111
Why Does Moonlight Look Silvery, Not Yellow-Hot?
Moonlight looks silvery because the Moon only reflects sunlight, and it reflects just a small part of it. The Moon's gray surface is dim, so by the time the light reaches your eyes, it is very faint. Borrowed light looks cooler!
More fun facts
- Only about one tenth of the sunlight that hits the Moon is reflected back into space.
- Up close, much of the Moon's surface is dark gray, like rocks found near volcanoes on Earth.
- The share of light something reflects is called its albedo.
- Venus reflects well over half the sunlight that reaches it, much more than the Moon.
- When the Moon is a thin crescent, its dark part can glow faintly with earthshine, which is sunlight reflected off Earth.
- Earthshine gets brighter when Earth is cloudier, because clouds reflect a lot of light.
Sources: NASA Science, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
How much sunlight does the Moon reflect?
Only about one tenth of the sunlight that hits it.
What is earthshine?
Sunlight reflected off Earth that dimly lights the dark part of the Moon.