Why is some parts of the Moon black?

The ‘dark side’ of the Moon refers to the hemisphere of the Moon that is facing away from the Earth. In reality it is no darker than any other part of the Moon’s surface as sunlight does in fact fall equally on all sides of the Moon.

What caused the formation of the dark areas that can be seen on the Moon with a telescope?

When you look at the Moon, you will see dark and light areas. The dark areas are young plains called maria and are composed of basalt. The basalt flowed in and flooded the area created by a huge impact with an asteroid or comet. The closer the Moon is to Earth, the greater the effect.

Which part of the Moon is black?

new moon
At its “new moon” phase, the moon is always black. It happens at that time of the month when the moon passes through the same part of the sky as the sun and as such, the moon’s dark or unilluminated side faces Earth. So there really is nothing to see.

Why is the Moon surface different colors?

Colors on the Moon are dominantly controlled by variations in iron and titanium content. The mare regions have low reflectance because they contain relatively high amounts of iron oxide (FeO).

What is the dark part of the Moon called?

maria
The surface of the Moon is covered in huge dark spots, visible from Earth even with the naked eye. These patches are known as maria – a Latin word meaning ‘seas’.

Why is there a border between light and dark on the Moon?

Why does the border between light and dark on the Moon change location? The Moon does not make its own light; the sun illuminates the Moon. The sun illuminates the half of the Moon that is facing it, and the other half is dark.

What are the black patches on the Moon?

Discover how a surface mottled with dark patches reveals the Moon’s volcanic past. The surface of the Moon is covered in huge dark spots, visible from Earth even with the naked eye. These patches are known as maria – a Latin word meaning ‘seas’.

What are the white dots on the moon?

The white dots are most likely areas below the surface that the impact exposed. The lunar surface is very dusty, so it’s easy to reveal material below the surface. This material is lighter because it hasn’t been exposed to solar wind and weathering.

Why does the moon have dark patches?

The dark spots on the lunar surface are actually craters of varying sizes that formed due to collisions from celestial bodies, such as comets, meteorites and asteroids in the past, which left large, excavated holes after the impact.

Why Moon looks black and white?

Why does the color the Moon seem to change from white to yellow when you go from day to night. That gray color you see comes from the surface of the Moon which is mostly oxygen, silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium and aluminum. The lighter color rocks are usually plagioclase feldspar, while the darker rocks are pyroxene.

Why does the moon reflect white light?

The moon shines because its surface reflects light from the sun. This is when the moon is between the sun and the Earth, so that the side of the moon reflecting sunlight is facing away from Earth. In the days before and after a new moon, we’ll see a sliver of the moon reflecting sunlight.

Do you think of the Moon in black and white?

Yes – well, you’re not alone, and there’s actually good reason for you to, because the surface of the Moon is nearly devoid of strong colors in comparison to what we’re used to here on Earth. Hands up if you think about the Moon in black and white?

What causes the dark spots on the lunar surface?

The dark spots on the lunar surface are actually craters of varying sizes that formed due to collisions from celestial bodies, such as comets, meteorites and asteroids in the past, which left large, excavated holes after the impact.

What is The Dark Side of the Moon called?

One thing that is seriously interesting about the moon is that the large space rock seems to have both a light side and a dark side – the near side is referred to as the ‘light side’ because it’s the side of the moon that we can always see, while the far side is referred to as the ‘dark side’ that we can’t see because it’s never facing us.

Why does the Moon have so many craters but not Earth?

If the moon has so many craters, why aren’t there any craters on Earth? The dark spots on the lunar surface are actually craters of varying sizes that formed due to collisions from celestial bodies, such as comets, meteorites and asteroids in the past, which left large, excavated holes after the impact.