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Community photo entitled  by Soumyadeep Mukherjee on 08/01/2023 at Kolkata, India

On 08/01/2023 08:00 pm by Soumyadeep Mukherjee| Kolkata, India

Astrophotographers, especially lunar photographers are often asked questions about the colour of the moon. Is the moon grey or does it have colours? The main reason behind this confusion comes from two different observations: one where we see the moon in shades of grey with our naked eyes, and two, where we see a colourful moon in a lot of images.
The answer to the question is, yes, the moon is colourful, but it is not as colourful as we see in a lot of images. The lunar surface consists of a number of minerals. Areas that are titanium-rich, appear bluish and areas that are rich with iron, appear orangish. The colours are subtle, but they do exist. The colourful moon images or popularly called "mineral moon" images are not false colours. They are natural colours that are exaggerated during post-processing. Note that these colours may slightly vary in their hue and tone depending upon the optics used, white balance and final post-processing techniques.
This collage represents a comparison among three such instances: (from the left) a grey moon visible with naked eyes, moon with subtle colours as can be observed in the live view of modern DSLR or mirrorless cameras, and a colourful moon, where the subtle colours are enhanced during post-processing.

Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop
Equipment: Nikon D5600, Sigma 150-600mm, Leofoto tripod
Location: Kolkata, India
Exif: f/6.3, 1/640s, ISO 250, 600mm (400 images stacked)

Nikon D5600, Sigma 150-600mm, Leofoto tripod

Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop