Waxing Gibbous Moon - Color
77% illuminated. April 2, 2012, 9 p.m. MEADE ETX-90, 32mm lens, Sony digital camera.
Colors of the moon
Our eyes cannot see the moon’s true colors. While we normally see mostly shades of gray, there are in fact many subtle color differences. These colors are muted, but they do exist.
The colors are from different chemical elements on the moon's surface. Blue indicates high amounts of the element Titanium. Red areas have reduced amounts of titanium.
Dried lava beds, craters, and rocks all have subtle color differences that can be brought out with digital photo software such as Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. To enhance the colors in this photo I used Photoshop Elements and a filter by Topaz Labs.
Moon viewing tips....
The days on either side of first quarter phase of the moon are the best times for lunar observers. Sunlight comes directly from the right, casting long shadows that emphasize the lunar landscape. The rising sun casts the moon's topography in high relief.
Some of the moon's features are familiar from Earth such as mountains, plains, and valleys. However, similarities are deceiving. Lunar plains were not created by ancient lakes or oceans, but were formed by lava flows after impacts from asteroids.
The most distinctive feature of lunar topography are craters. Unlike craters of Earth, which are mainly caused by volcanic action, the moon's craters were mostly formed by the impact of meteors and asteroids billions of years ago.
Without water to erode them, these impacts are still visible. Although there are many impact craters on Earth, most have been eroded away, only detectable by geologic analysis.
Copyright - Mark Mathosian
Waxing Gibbous Moon - Color
77% illuminated. April 2, 2012, 9 p.m. MEADE ETX-90, 32mm lens, Sony digital camera.
Colors of the moon
Our eyes cannot see the moon’s true colors. While we normally see mostly shades of gray, there are in fact many subtle color differences. These colors are muted, but they do exist.
The colors are from different chemical elements on the moon's surface. Blue indicates high amounts of the element Titanium. Red areas have reduced amounts of titanium.
Dried lava beds, craters, and rocks all have subtle color differences that can be brought out with digital photo software such as Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. To enhance the colors in this photo I used Photoshop Elements and a filter by Topaz Labs.
Moon viewing tips....
The days on either side of first quarter phase of the moon are the best times for lunar observers. Sunlight comes directly from the right, casting long shadows that emphasize the lunar landscape. The rising sun casts the moon's topography in high relief.
Some of the moon's features are familiar from Earth such as mountains, plains, and valleys. However, similarities are deceiving. Lunar plains were not created by ancient lakes or oceans, but were formed by lava flows after impacts from asteroids.
The most distinctive feature of lunar topography are craters. Unlike craters of Earth, which are mainly caused by volcanic action, the moon's craters were mostly formed by the impact of meteors and asteroids billions of years ago.
Without water to erode them, these impacts are still visible. Although there are many impact craters on Earth, most have been eroded away, only detectable by geologic analysis.
Copyright - Mark Mathosian