月亮升起，图森，亚利桑那州，美国 Moon rising, Tucson, Arizona (© Tim Murphy/Shutterstock)

月亮升起，图森，亚利桑那州，美国 Moon rising, Tucson, Arizona (© Tim Murphy/Shutterstock)

亚利桑那州空中的粉月亮 A pink moon over Arizona

四月的第一个满月

夜空中的满月是动人心魄的。人类是如此为月亮着迷，北美地区甚至起了各种各样的名字描述它的不同状态：蓝月、蛋月、狩月、玫瑰月、海狸月等等等等。今天照片里展示的粉月就是亚利桑那州四月的第一轮满月，但这个粉色却并非是日期造成的。阳光从月表上反射后穿透地球大气层，大气中的灰尘、污染、烟雾和其他粒子散射月光，从而改变了月光的颜色，使其从白色或是蓝色变成了红色、橙色、黄色、或是粉色。当月亮低悬于空中时，月光需要穿透更厚的大气层，也就更有可能变为其他的颜色。也许是亚利桑那州沙漠的沙尘导致了这轮美丽的粉月吧。

April's full moon

The full moon has inspired folklore, myths, writers, and artists throughout history and has been given many names, depending on the time of year it appears. April's first full moon is known as the pink moon, but that doesn’t mean it will appear pink against the night sky. Native Americans named it for the pink wildflowers, moss pink or creeping phlox, that bloom in the eastern US in the spring.

If it does appear pink, orange, or golden, it is because sunlight reflects off the moon and travels through our atmosphere. Here, dust, pollution, and other particles scatter the light, making it appear more colorful when it hangs lower in the sky. It appears whiter as it rises. Perhaps this pink moon is tinged by the dust of the Arizona desert.