<p>The Moon is a dark gray in color -- it reflects light poorly but uniformly. (Its color is about the same  as fresh asphalt!  It's albedo is about 12%)  Clouds are (usually) light gray with an albedo ranging from 10% to 90%.</p>

<p>Both the Moon and the clouds shine by reflected sunlight, so they're both the same color. (Clouds usually have a greater surface brightness owing to their lower albedo.)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-22T20:51:20.700Z
2018-05-22T20:51:20.700Z
Mark Olson
<p>The moon has dark and bright areas.</p>

<p>When it is visible in the daytime the bright areas appear roughly as bright as clouds, but the dark areas have no light to add to the scene and we are just left with the blue light from the sky generally.</p>

<p>The sky blue is not as bright as the clouds or the moon, at least when it's visible like this (typically near the end of day and early morning) so it does not conceal the bright clouds or the moon's brighter parts.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-22T19:07:50.903Z
2018-05-22T19:07:50.903Z
StephenG - Help Ukraine
<p>Sry Guys ;) english is not my main language so maybe i mesed in question :) still  i think i found the answer , it serms  everything on a blue sky would look cloudish ? My main concern was why moon looks more cloudish than clouds moonish ;) but now i think its just the contecst ;)
Thx</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-23T14:38:39.507Z
Don't edit your question in an answer -- edit the original question.
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-23T09:55:05.613Z
2018-05-23T09:55:05.613Z
Przemek Zubowicz
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Zv4fS.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p>Why the moon looks like the cloud-structure on the blue sky among the clouds?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-22T15:55:13.517Z
Your question is unclear.  Please try to state in quantitative terms what you wish to learn.
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-22T16:34:22.837Z
The moon reflects light from the sun and it's surface on a black pitch dark background make it look likes it's silver/white/shades of gray. At daylight hours the sky looks like it's blue (it's a complex light effect on the atmosphere) so the moon appears in the above picture in a blue background
jean
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-22T16:54:57.817Z
I tried to understand your post, and then I improved it to show, what I've understood from it. Is it okay?
peterh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-22T16:58:24.040Z
VtC reviewers: please check [pending edit](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/review/suggested-edits/14083) before voting.
peterh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-23T04:06:55.323Z
If you look at the picture, the Moon is roughly the same color as the thin clouds, but not the thick ones.   The moon is visibly greyish with darker spots.   The clouds, when thin and partially transparent appear a similar greyish color to the moon.   The thicker white clouds are a different color than the moon.
userLTK
<the-moon><naked-eye>
Why is the color of the moon so similar to the clouds?
Przemek Zubowicz
# Why is the color of the moon so similar to the clouds?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-05-22)

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/Zv4fS.jpg)

Why the moon looks like the cloud-structure on the blue sky among the clouds?

**Tags:** the-moon, naked-eye

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Your question is unclear.  Please try to state in quantitative terms what you wish to learn.  
> **username_2**: The moon reflects light from the sun and it's surface on a black pitch dark background make it look likes it's silver/white/shades of gray. At daylight hours the sky looks like it's blue (it's a complex light effect on the atmosphere) so the moon appears in the above picture in a blue background  
> **username_3**: I tried to understand your post, and then I improved it to show, what I've understood from it. Is it okay?  
> **username_3**: VtC reviewers: please check [pending edit](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/review/suggested-edits/14083) before voting.  
> **username_4**: If you look at the picture, the Moon is roughly the same color as the thin clouds, but not the thick ones.   The moon is visibly greyish with darker spots.   The clouds, when thin and partially transparent appear a similar greyish color to the moon.   The thicker white clouds are a different color than the moon.  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-05-22. Score: 2

The Moon is a dark gray in color -- it reflects light poorly but uniformly. (Its color is about the same as fresh asphalt! It's albedo is about 12%) Clouds are (usually) light gray with an albedo ranging from 10% to 90%.

Both the Moon and the clouds shine by reflected sunlight, so they're both the same color. (Clouds usually have a greater surface brightness owing to their lower albedo.)


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### Answer by username_6 on 2018-05-22. Score: 1

The moon has dark and bright areas.

When it is visible in the daytime the bright areas appear roughly as bright as clouds, but the dark areas have no light to add to the scene and we are just left with the blue light from the sky generally.

The sky blue is not as bright as the clouds or the moon, at least when it's visible like this (typically near the end of day and early morning) so it does not conceal the bright clouds or the moon's brighter parts.


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### Answer by username_0 on 2018-05-23. Score: -1

Sry Guys ;) english is not my main language so maybe i mesed in question :) still i think i found the answer , it serms everything on a blue sky would look cloudish ? My main concern was why moon looks more cloudish than clouds moonish ;) but now i think its just the contecst ;)
Thx

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Don't edit your question in an answer -- edit the original question.  

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