• Question: Why isn’t the moon sometimes out during the day

    Asked by Chrisidellake to Tim on 14 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Tim Duckenfield

      Tim Duckenfield answered on 14 Mar 2018:

      The moon is sometimes visible during the day! In fact sometimes the moon is more luminous in daytime than in night time, but it can also sometimes be quite faint, especially compared to the bright sky during the day. How easy it is to see depends on two factors;

      1) how bright the moon is, which depends on how close the moon is, how much light is reflected, and what the background is.

      2) the phase of the moon, that is the angle of the moon, Earth and Sun. This could mean a crescent moon, full moon, or a new moon etc. Often the angle means the moon cannot be seen during the day at all.

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