Bibcode
García Muñoz, A.; Pallé, E.; Zapatero Osorio, M. R.; Martín, E. L.
Bibliographical reference
Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 38, Issue 14, CiteID L14805
Advertised on:
7
2011
Journal
Citations
15
Refereed citations
12
Description
The Moon's changeable aspect during a lunar eclipse is largely
attributable to variations in the refracted unscattered sunlight
absorbed by the terrestrial atmosphere that occur as the satellite
crosses the Earth's shadow. The contribution to the Moon's aspect from
sunlight scattered at the Earth's terminator is generally deemed minor.
However, our analysis of a published spectrum of the 16 August 2008
lunar eclipse shows that diffuse sunlight is a major component of the
measured spectrum at wavelengths shorter than 600 nm. The conclusion is
supported by two distinct features, namely the spectrum's tail at short
wavelengths and the unequal absorption by an oxygen collisional complex
at two nearby bands. Our findings are consistent with the presence of
the volcanic cloud reported at high northern latitudes following the 7-8
August 2008 eruption in Alaska of the Kasatochi volcano. The cloud both
attenuates the unscattered sunlight and enhances moderately the
scattered component, thus modifying the contrast between the two
contributions.