The moon appears less bright than the sun despite its close distance to Earth because of its surface composition. The moon's surface is covered in dark, rocky material called regolith, which reflects much less sunlight compared to the sun's bright and hot surface. Additionally, the moon has no atmosphere to scatter and diffuse light, further decreasing its apparent brightness. Finally, the moon reflects only a portion of the sun's light back towards Earth, while the sun emits light from its entire surface, leading to a stark contrast in perceived brightness.
The moon appears less bright than the sun despite its close distance to Earth due to a combination of factors. Firstly, the moon's surface reflects only a small portion of sunlight, known as albedo, which is significantly lower than the sun's. Secondly, the moon does not emit its own light, unlike the sun, which is a powerful source of light and heat. Lastly, the atmosphere scatters sunlight, making the sky appear brighter during the day and overshadowing the moon's brightness.
