|
2004-05-04 - 6:33 p.m.
eclipse
occasionally i feel compelled to write about science things - it is an attempt to make people learn things and use brain power instead of just cellphone button pushing power. also, it is sometimes more interesting than my pictures or writing about animals or whatever.
so tonight it is a full moon but that is not all - it is also a lunar eclipse. it is when the moon passes through the earth's shadow and turns red. you may think that if the moon is in shadow then it should disappear but it is not the case. here is the science bit:
the light from the sun is made up of the spectrum of colours you see in a rainbow but the bluer colours are scattered much more than the redder colours as they pass through the atmosphere of the earth. this is why the sky is blue - the blue light is scattered so heavily that it appears to be coming from all directions and so dominates the red. anyway, the red light passes through the atmosphere easily so that even though the moon is in shadow there is still plenty of red light coming through the atmosphere to illuminate it. however, it IS still in shadow because there is no sunlight hitting the moon directly.
now, go spread the word.
paul.
(keeper of www.pixelbee.co.uk)
previous - next
|
