Is it me or does the Moon seem brighter? Just a tad. I've been observing the Moon for some time now. And it just seems it's brighter than usual. Years ago it didn't seem that bright. Am I the only one who notices this?

I have noticed it myself and it does seem a bit weird . Dont know , maybe it because we dont have that little layer between the earth and moon known as the ozone anymore .

LOL the ozone layer is there and is well on its way of being repaired.
Holes in the ozone are controlled from magnetic fields of the earth not by pollution. Ozone in nature has a very short life span and is constantly created by the sun hitting the upper atmosphere.

It may in fact appear brighter at the moment, MoonPrincess...

I will say that the apparent brightness of the Moon does vary, depending on various factors. Predictions of lunar brightness are published for photographers all the time, as that brightness can vary and require much different exposure settings based on that apparent brightness. Atmospheric conditions, the Moon's altitude and azimuth, and its phase all play a role in apparent brightness.

Right now, depending on where you are on the planet, it may be alot brighter than at other times.

At 40 north latitude, for instance, it's winter, and the Moon in its path through the sky approaches zenith. That makes it brighter, because at zenith, its light is passing through less atmopshere. In the winter, we often also encounter much more stable, less humid air, which improves seeing and allows more light through than say in the summer, when the Moon may only reach 35-40 above south at its high point, and often in hazy, unstable air with alot of moisture present, which makes its apparent brightness less.

The moons intrinsic brightness hasn't actually changed, but its apparent brightness does vary.

I hope this helps???

Okay.

Thank you, MID.

It does help. :3

Super!

The polluted haze you take for air has been blown off by the prevailing winds?

Depends on where she lives...don't you think?
Or perhaps, you assume that everyplace is a polluted haze???

I do not think that the Ozone layer can be removed, it is Oxygen. However, in removing the Ozone from the poles of the earth makes the thickness greater in places. Ozone is a prism of Oxygen atoms giving you a microscopic view of the heavens; the moon, the stars. A microscope with a different lens makes things smaller or bigger, dimmer or brighter.
During the month of October, the moon is a big bright yellow orb in the sky. I don't think it is any closer than usual, maybe the Ozone layer is thicker.

Ahhh yeah, MID is right, of course but there is more to it. The October moon is usually the biggest and the brightest when the moon is below say 30 degrees from the horizon. Is that because smoke rises or the dust rises in the atmosphere to a level that is 30 degrees in your sight from you to the horizon?

Sadly measurements from satellites show you to be wrong. Ozone in the stratosphere has depleted by 4% over the entire Earth since the 1970s.


This is sort of true, ozone is an allotrope of oxygen as it is made only from oxygen atoms, 3 of them, however it isn't really correct to call it oxygen. The gas we breath is 2 Oxygen atoms. To say that O₃ is oxygen is like saying that the graphite in a pencil is a diamond because they are both made of carbon.


No it doesn't. The ozone isn't magically moved from the poles to somewhere else, it is destroyed in a catalytic reaction with chlorine (mostly from CFCs) which breaks the ozone down into oxygen.


No it doesnt.


Yellow?


Correct on the first part, wrong on the second (see above).


I'm glad some one is.


The moon is no bigger in October than in any other given month. Nor is it any larger when it is at 30^o (or any other altitude above the horizon). The fact that people think the moon is larger when it is closer to the horizon was shown to be an optical illusion many years ago.

When you see that big globe at the horizon that is sort of bright and yellow, is that an optical illusion? Does that mean that the moon is above your head and the defraction of the light puts the moon at the horizon and makes it bigger? I wonder why that happens. The fact that you see it and it is there means it is not an illusion!

The key here gregg, is that the Moon is at the horizon, both when considering color and size. The color is real, the size is an illusion.
The yellow color you describe (I always see it as more orange-ish) is the result of the light passing through much thicker atmosphere.

I think your term "farmer's moon" may be a reference to what we call "harvest moon", which occurs in late summer/early fall (harvest time, around the autumnal equinox). Generally speaking, there's alot more moisture in the atmosphere at that time as well, which will also contribute to the yellow/orange color as the Moon rises.

As to the apparent size of the Moon when located at the horizon, that is in fact an illusion.
The reason it seems to be larger is generally accepted to be due to the fact that the Moon, when rising, is close to reference objects on the horizon. You see it in relation to tree lines, houses, or whatever is in your field of view. It appears to be smaller when at zenith, or at least at its high point, because it is surrounded by nothing but the vast sky.

You can easily determine the Moon's angular size by simply observing it at rise in a pair of binoculars at a certain magnification setting and noting it's size in your field of view. A few hours later, look at it again with the same settings and you'll note it occupies exactly the same area in your field of view. Or, you could just give it a little measurement between two fingers, outstretched at arm's length. Check it out later, and you'll see that the size is just the same.

It only appears to be bigger when close to the horizon. It never actually has a different angular size...it's always the same.