Why does the moon change colors - Just be perfectly clear, the moon NEVER changes its color! It is quite stable.

Although it seems like it is changing colors, the moon stays the same throughout the year. The different colors we see are the result of our viewing angle plus the earth’s unstable atmospheric conditions.

But, if that is the case, then why does the moon change colors w.r.t our perspectives? Why does it appear in different colors? Is there any changing light bulb on the moon?

Let’s understand how it all works.

How can the moon change colors? - Why does the moon change colors?

Well, there are many factors that can lead people to interpret the moon in different colors.

We all know that the earth’s atmosphere is a thin gaseous band of countless airborne particles that can scatter and absorb light.

Therefore,  whenever the moon’s light passes by, the atmosphere scatters the light in different colors due to the size and type of particles present in it.

And, we get the moon in different colors.

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You might have noticed that when the moon is too low on the horizon, we get a yellowish and orange moon or even a reddish one just like the sun at its rising and setting.

That’s because the light emitted by any celestial body at such a position will have to pass through a lot of other layers of particles, and gases to reach you.

Likewise, the other cause is pollution. In many areas, the atmosphere is filled with many impurities, dust, or even smoke from the wildfire. Therefore, in such areas, we often find a bright orange or red moon.

Moreover, a yellow moon appears in the sky mostly in June. That’s because the sun is highest in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, the moon should be the lowest in the sky.

Also, a blue moon is observed particularly in the areas where there is some sort of volcanic eruption or wildfire.

Why does the moon change its colors during an eclipse?

It is crystal clear that the moon does not have its own light. It glows because it reflects the sunlight.

Now, when an eclipse is encountered by the moon, the earth comes in between the sun and the moon and ceases the moon’s light supply.

Consequently, the moon’s surface appears to be reddish instead of being completely dark. Such moons are often referred to as Blood moons.

But why RED? Why not any other color?

Well, there’s a broad phenomenon behind it. Upon entering the earth’s atmosphere, the sunlight scatters the particles that are smaller than their wavelength.

This phenomenon is termed Rayleigh scattering.

Colors with longer wavelengths are scattered much lesser than those with a shorter wavelength. The red and orange spectrum, being the longer wavelengths get twisted towards the moon’s surface thus, making it reddish or orange.

The shades of red can be different depending upon the atmospheric conditions at the time of the Lunar eclipse.

What is the rarest moon color?

Have you ever heard “Once in a Blue moon”?

This usually indicates something rare. Many people regard the second full moon in a month as a blue moon.

A blue moon is among the rarest moon colors that appear in the sky due to the ashes of any volcanic eruption or forest fire.

The blue moon phenomenon occurs only once every two and half years. Therefore, such a long span between two blue moon occurrences makes it the rare one.

Other moon colors like the pink moon, strawberry moon, and harvest moon are also regarded as the rarest moon colors.