Why did the moon look orange in Texas on Thursday night? Science says there's a reason

If you looked above at the night sky on Thursday in Central or South Texas, you may have noticed that the moon had an orange-reddish hue.

No, it wasn't a lunar eclipse — but your eyes didn't play tricks on you.

There's another scientific reason why the moon embraced such a warm hue.

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Why was the moon a different color last night?

There's a lot of reasons why the moon seemingly changes colors. Often, it correlates with the density of particles pollutants and dust particles in the air, creating a filter between you and the space rock.

But there's also another reason the moon can appear vibrant orange in color, and it all has to do with placement, according to BBC News.

When the moon is lower, or closer to the horizon, its light must pass through a more substantial thickness of the earth's atmosphere. Because of this, the shorter blue and violet wavelengths of light are scattered by the atmosphere, so the longer wavelengths on the red end of the spectrum engulf.

In the summer, the moon is closer to the celestial equator, as well as Earth's horizon due to the tilt of the planet's axis. This is why we see more vibrant-colored moons in the summer.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Why did the moon look orange or red in Texas on Thursday night?