Question #68c16
1 Answer
May 15, 2016
It is due to the scattering of light, by the particles of the Earth's atmosphere.
Explanation:
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When the moon is near the horizon, the moonlight needs to travel a larger distance, than when it is directly overhead.
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So, when the moonlight (made of white light) reaches you, the blue, green and purple parts of the light gets scattered, leaving the orange, yellow and red parts of it.
- Therefore, it seems to appear reddish in colour.
This is similar to the redness of [the Sun](https://socratic.org/astronomy/our-solar-system/the-sun-1) during sunrise and sunset.