Why Does the Moon Shine?

The Moon is the brightest object in the night sky, but it does not produce its own light. Instead, it shines because it reflects sunlight

The Sun always lights up one half of the Moon. As the Moon orbits Earth, we see different portions of this sunlit side, which is why the Moon appears to change shape during the month

Although the Moon looks bright and silvery, its surface is actually dark, grey, and rocky, reflecting only about 7–12% of the sunlight that hits it. The rest of the light is absorbed by the dusty lunar surface

Even so, the reflected sunlight is strong enough for the Moon to glow in our night sky, and sometimes it can even be seen during the day.