April 20, 2016, the color of the moon did not change to green. Despite all the rumors circulating on the internet, the moon was never green and probably never will be.
The story of the green moon
It started in 2016 when someone jokingly posted a meme on Facebook claiming that the moon turns green once in April and again on May 29 of that year.
After the rumor spread on Facebook, someone thought it would be funny to change the date from 4/20. So he added that this event happens once every 420 years. The reason is the proximity of the moon to Uranus in the night sky and the color of Uranus is reflected on the moon.
But even though Uranus is green, it is two billion miles away from the moon and there is no way it could illuminate its surface. The planet is so faint that it is almost impossible to see without a telescope or binoculars.
The joke was such a popular phenomenon that even NASA showed the Earth’s moon in green under the telescope in a video.
However, the audience should use their critical thinking skills. If something seems too outlandish, crazy, or surprising, it probably isn’t true. So if someone sends you an email or a tweet, or you see a Facebook post announcing that the moon will turn green on April 20 or May 29, ignore it.
