Moon phases and colors

Posted by Matteo Vacca
on Tuesday, April 25, 2023
The digital sensors of astronomical cameras have a very hight sensitivity, and can detect the various shade of colors that correspond to the different types of minerals. Some younger lunar seas, such as Mare Tranquillitatis, tend to have a bluish color due to the hight concentration of heavy metal, such as titanium and iron in the basalt rocks. Other seas, such as Mare Serenitatis, are rich in iron but low in titanium. High relief areas, such as the large plateaus that cover almost the entire lunar surface, have a brown/red color due to the presence of the mineral anorthite in the rocks and a low iron content. In this new presentation, we can see our satellite with its real colors and four phases. From right to left we have: waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, and full Moon.
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