BARLOW 12 The Moon reflects sunlight in a way that creates the moonlight we see at night. Sunlight strikes the Moon's surface, primarily the volcanic rocks and craters, and is then scattered or reflected back towards Earth. The amount of sunlight reflected varies, with the Moon only reflecting about 13.6% of the light it receives.

BARLOW 10 The moon reflects light from the sun because every object reflects light to some degree, which makes them visible. Opaque objects, or those that are not transparent, reflect or absorb all of the light that hits them. Since the moon is made of rock, it is an opaque object that reflects light. The sun's powerful light rays that travel through space hit the moon and are reflected back, illuminating it so that we can see the moon from the earth. Sunlight is reflected off the moon in diffuse reflection, which is light reflection that occurs when light rays hit a rough surface. The surface of the moon is very rough and uneven, causing light rays to hit the moon and reflect back in many different directions. Because of its rough surface, the moon isn't actually a very reflective body. It is simply very close to the earth relative to other celestial bodies, making it appear to be very bright.