Moonlight
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moonlight is the light that comes to Earth from the Moon. This light does not originate from the Moon, but is actually reflected sunlight. However, the Moon does not reflect sunlight like a mirror but emits light from those portions of its surface which the Sun's light strikes.[1]
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[edit] Illumination
The "intensity" of moonlight varies greatly depending on the current lunar phase, but even the full moon typically provides only a faint illumination of about 0.2 lx, so the full moon is about 500,000 times fainter than the sun. When the moon is viewed at high altitude at tropical latitudes, the illuminance can reach 1 lx.[2] The color of moonlight, particularly near full moon, appears bluish to the human eye compared to most artificial light sources.
[edit] Enjoyment
Moonlight is considered by many people to be more romantic than sunlight. For example, it is referenced in several love songs. Moon-viewing is a form of "Kigo" in Japan.
[edit] See also
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Look up moonlight in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Moonlight |
[edit] References
- ^ Toomer, G. J. (December 1964), "Review: Ibn al-Haythams Weg zur Physik by Matthias Schramm", Isis 55 (4): 463–4, doi:
- ^ Bunning, Erwin; and Moser, Ilse (April 1969). "Interference of moonlight with the photoperiodic measurement of time by plants, and their adaptive reaction". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 62 (4): 1018–1022. doi:. PMID 16591742. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/62/4/1018. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
[edit] External links
- Phases of the Moon at USNO
- Strange Moonlight at Science@NASA
- Moonlight Brightness at LunarLight Photography
