Red light can pass through the atmosphere and not get scattered much, while light at the blue end of the spectrum is more easily scattered. The Earth’s atmosphere can scatter sunlight, and since moonlight is just scattered sunlight, it can scatter that too. Just like the Sun, light from the Moon has to pass through a larger amount of atmosphere when it’s down near the horizon, compared to when it’s overhead. The most common way to see the Moon turn red is when the Moon is low in the sky, just after moonrise or before it’s about to set below the horizon. There are few situations that can cause a red Moon. But on occasion, it will darken and acquire either a golden, copper, or even rusty-red color. Ordinarily, the Moon appears as it does because it is reflecting light from the Sun. So what really accounts for a “Red Moon?” What causes Earth’s only satellite to turn the color of blood? But of course, the Moon turns red on a semi-regular basis, and the world has yet to drown in fire. According to various Biblical passages, a Blood Moon was thought to be a bad omen. So naturally, when the Moon turned red, people became wary. Farmers in the past would plant their crops “by the moon”, which meant sowing their seeds in accordance with the Moon’s phases in the hopes of getting a better harvest. To the Romans, staring at a full Moon was thought to drive a person crazy – hence the term “lunatic”. Since the earliest days of recorded history, the Moon has been believed to have a powerful influence over human and animal behavior. But to modern astronomers, a Red Moon is just another fascinating phenomenon that has a scientific explanation. Naturally, there are a number of superstitions associated with this stellar event. But on occasion, the Moon can turn a beautiful and dramatic red, coppery color. On most evenings, the Moon will appear as a bright yellow or white color in the night sky.
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