You may notice that you can see the rest of the moon glowing faintly. This glow is caused by sunlight reflecting from Earth and is a spectacular sight for new and seasoned Moon lovers. To take your next step in lunar observations, read our guide on how to observe the Moon.
Why not keep a diary so you have a record of when the Moon appeared during the daytime, and what you were able to see? Or you could mark on a calendar the phases of the Moon over the next few months so you know when it will be visible in the daytime. Sign up to our weekly newsletter , which will deliver moonrise times for the week ahead straight to your inbox.
Home Advice Why can we see the Moon during the day? The phases of the Moon. The inner circle shows what the Moon looks like seen from above its north pole, while the outer circle shows the phase we see from Earth at that time. The Moon may always keep the same face turned to us, but the terminator makes sure that face keeps changing.
Image Credit: iStock. In fact, the moon is only in this position for a single instant in the whole lunar month: the exact time of full moon , when it is degrees away from the sun. The rest of the month it can be anywhere from 0 to degrees away and, at least in theory, visible in the daytime sky. At full moon, the moon is exactly opposite the sun.
This means that the moon rises just as the sun is setting, and sets just as the sun is rising. This is also the only night in the month when a lunar eclipse can happen. Even so, eclipses normally happen only one full moon out of every six; the other times the Earth's shadow is either too high or too low to touch the moon.
Two things contribute to the moon being visible in daylight. First, it is bright enough that its light penetrates the scattered blue light of the sky. If you're looking at exactly the right spot with a telescope, you can also see the planets Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter in daylight, plus a few of the brightest stars though few casual observers can actually pull this off.
The surface of the moon is reflecting the sun's light into our eyes. But why don't we see the stars during the day? But we don't see the moon all the time during the day, and that's because of where the moon might be in the sky. It's an optical illusion. The moon is very far away, compared to anything else you see when you're driving — like the telephone poles that you see that appear to fly past your car as you're going down a highway.
You driving one mile is insignificant in terms of how it makes the moon look on the sky," O'Meara said. So the moon is just so far away, its shape on the sky isn't changing as you drive along, and so it can feel like the moon is following you. Read the full transcript. VPR News. Vermont Edition.
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