Why do objects illuminated by moonlight lack color?
That is nonsense.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~zhuxj/astro/html/lunareclipse041027.html
What you may be asking is why do objects illuminated by moonlight appear to humans as lacking color? Now the answer to that lies in the detection of light in the eye. Is it Rods or Cones which respond to low light levels?
For information on the rods and cones, here are some sources:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/bright.html#c4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_cell
http://www.cis.rit.edu/people/faculty/montag/vandplite/pages/chap_9/ch9p1.html
I hope this helps a little more. Thanks for asking.
Thank You
Objects illuminated by moonlight appear to lack color because moonlight is much dimmer and cooler than sunlight. Moonlight is essentially reflected sunlight, but the moon's surface is not very reflective, so the light that reaches us is significantly attenuated compared to direct sunlight.
To understand why objects illuminated by moonlight appear colorless, it's important to know how our eyes perceive color. Our eyes have specialized cells called cones that are sensitive to different wavelengths of light, enabling us to see a full range of colors. However, cone cells require a certain level of light intensity to function properly.
Moonlight is relatively weak and lacks the intensity of sunlight. The lower light levels during moonlit nights can cause our cone cells to become less responsive, leading to a diminished perception of color. Our eyes primarily use the rod cells for low-light vision, which are more sensitive to light but do not contribute significantly to color perception.
Additionally, moonlight has a cool or bluish tone compared to sunlight, which has a warmer or yellowish tone. The light spectrum of moonlight is shifted towards the blue end, and our brain tends to interpret objects illuminated predominantly by cool light as being colorless or desaturated.
In summary, objects illuminated by moonlight appear colorless due to the lower light levels and the bluish tone of moonlight, which affects the functioning of our cone cells and our perception of color.