Fossilized blood cells found in 115M-year-old dinosaur bone
Fossilized blood cells were found in a dinosaur bone dated to 115 million years ago. The discovery reveals preserved cellular structures in an ancient fossil. (pnas.org)
Colors of the Moon
science.nasa.gov3 points0 comments
The Moon does not have a single appearance: its visible color changes with viewing conditions. Beyond Earth’s atmosphere, sunlight reflected from the lunar surface gives the Moon a brownish-gray tone. From the ground, however, the atmosphere can tint it, and a collection of photographs shows the full Moon in many apparent colors. Astrophotographer Marcella Giulia Pace assembled the images over ten years, observing from different locations across Italy.
The colors offer clues about the atmosphere and the Moon’s position. Near the horizon, the Moon often looks red or yellow because its light travels through more atmosphere, where blue wavelengths are scattered away; fine dust can contribute to the effect. Blue Moons are rarer and may indicate larger dust particles in the air. The cause of the purple appearance in the collection is uncertain and could reflect several effects acting together. One image records the total lunar eclipse of July 2018: Earth’s shadow darkened the Moon, while sunlight refracted through Earth’s atmosphere gave it a faint red glow. The images make clear that lunar color is not a fixed property alone, but also a product of the light’s journey to the observer.
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