Why is there a shine around the moon at night?

[octelcogopod]

Silly question perhaps but I was thinking..
Shouldn't there in theory be a round light of the moon and then complete blackness around it?
Does the light reflect off small particles in the air or something?

 

[russ_watters]

Sometimes you will see it light around the moon just because of haze or moisture in the atmosphere (it isn't completely transparent), but then there are also halos at specific distances due to ice crystals in the atmosphere: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(optical_phenomenon)

 

[sir-pinski]

The shine or glow around the moon at night is caused by a phenomenon known as "moonlight scattering." This occurs when the moon's rays of light hit particles in the Earth's atmosphere, causing them to scatter and reflect the light in all directions. This creates a halo-like effect around the moon, giving it a radiant glow.

The reason why we don't see complete blackness around the moon is because the particles in the atmosphere are constantly moving and changing, so the light is scattered in different directions. Additionally, the moon's light is not bright enough to completely illuminate the entire sky, so there are still areas of darkness between the scattered light.

So, to answer your question, the shine around the moon is not caused by the moon itself, but rather by the scattering of its light in our atmosphere. It's a beautiful and natural occurrence that adds to the charm of a moonlit night.