Moonlight

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Moonlight

Moonlight is the light that comes to Earth from the Moon. This light does not originate from the Moon, but is actually reflecting sunlight. In many legends and fantasy games, moonlight is an important part of magical processes (for example, werewolves transform at full moon).

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[edit] Illumination

The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on the lunar cycle but even the full moon typically provides only a faint illumination of about 0.2 lx, so the full moon is about 500,000 times fainter than the sun. When the moon is viewed at high altitude at tropical latitudes, the illuminance can reach 1 lx.[1] The color of moonlight, particularly near full moon, appears bluish to the human eye compared to most artificial light sources.

[edit] Enjoyment

Moonlight is considered by many people to be romantic. For example, it is referenced in several love songs.

Moon-viewing is a form of "Kigo" in Japan.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bunning, Erwin; and Moser, Ilse (April 1969). "Interference of moonlight with the photoperiodic measurement of time by plants, and their adaptive reaction". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 62 (4): 1018–1022. doi:10.1073/pnas.62.4.1018. PMID 16591742. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/62/4/1018. Retrieved 2006-11-10. 

[edit] External links