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Old 09-15-2006, 09:58 AM   #37
Pie
Gone and done
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 4,808
Okay, I hate to be pedagogic, but the moon does emit light. Just like any object that's not at absolute zero temperature, it's a black body, and thus radiates according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law It does not emit visible light, but that's a detail.

Incidentally, this implies that the earth and the moon are at roughly the same temperature (when averaged over the surface of the body). There are effects from greenhouse gases, albedo and self-heating, but solar radiation does dominate the equations. Neat!
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per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions
The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.
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