Panel #1 (Title)
• This is Outer Space Pals #8. In this episode, we talk about how much light the Moon and each of the planets reflect.

Panel #2
• The color of an object is the main factor that determines how much light it reflects. To a lesser extent, how irregular a surface is can factor in on how much light bounces off. So, a smooth surface of a certain color will reflect more light than a rough surface of the same color.

Panel #3
• As our characters are saying, how bright a planet (or moon or asteroid or comet, etc.) looks depends on three things: 1) How much light it reflects; 2) How close it is to the Sun; and 3) How close it is to Earth.

Panel #4
• This is a great thought question. It eliminates the size and distance factors. So, it really changes the question from, "Which planet is brightest?" to "Which planet reflects the greatest percentage of light falling on it?"

Panel #5
• This panel answers the question.
     • Venus reflects a whopping 65 percent of the light that falls on it, mainly because of the planet's thick layer of clouds.
     • Jupiter is next, but not because of its size. It also has many bright clouds, although some of them are darker than the ones covering Venus. Jupiter reflects 52 percent of the Sun's light that hits it.
     • Uranus comes in third, reflecting 51 percent of the light striking it back into space.
     • Saturn claims the fourth spot at 47 percent, and Neptune takes fifth place with a reflectivity of 41 percent.
     • Earth reflects 37 percent of the sunlight falling on it, mainly because of the bright clouds that give us our weather. But clouds don't cover our whole planet, and the water and ground that isn't covered by clouds don't reflect as much light back into space.
     • Then there's a real drop to reddish Mars, in seventh place, which reflects only 15 percent of the light hitting it.
     • Finally, Mercury is the least reflective planet, absorbing 90 percent of the Sun's light and bouncing off only 10 percent. So, remember, the reason Mercury appears as bright as it does when we see it in the sky is because it's so close to the Sun.
     • Finally, our Moon is only a slightly better mirror than Mercury. It reflects 12 percent of the Sun's light.

Panel #6
• It's really amazing how unreflective the Moon's surface is. A pine forest seen from above looks pretty dark. And here's something else to think about: Scientists who measure reflectivities of common objects tell us that there's one other surface that reflects the same amount of light as the Moon. It's an aged asphalt street, and by "aged," I mean that it's been used for some time. A brand-new asphalt street is so black that it only reflects 5 percent of the light hitting it.
• Just so you know, scientists who study how much light (or other types of radiation) a celestial body reflects use the word "albedo." Albedo equals reflectance, so it's perfectly fine to say, "That's how much light the Moon reflects," rather than, "That's the Moon's albedo."

Panel #7
• Another great question! We'll find out all about smells in Outer Space Pals #9.