By what mechanism is the Moon characterized as shining toward us?
Answer
Shining due to the sunlight it bounces back toward us
The Moon is not self-luminous; it does not produce its own visible light. Instead, its characteristic brightness in our night sky is entirely dependent on an external source: the Sun. The Moon's surface acts as a reflector, catching the sunlight that strikes it and redirecting a portion of that light back across space toward Earth. This reliance on reflected light is a key scientific characteristic, highlighting that the light we see is indirect illumination.

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