Question about the moon seen during the day?

Question

So if the moon phases are due to the shadow of the earth falling on the moon...

Why is it that when the sun and the moon are in the same sky, the moon doesn't show as full? It doesn't make much sense to me that it still has earths shadow if it is in the same line of sight as the sun.

That was dumb, must have missed this class...thanks for the answers!

Answer 1

That's because the phases of the moon are not caused by the shadow of the earth falling on the moon. The phases of the moon are caused by the relative positions of the sun, moon and Earth.
See the picture below:
http://www.astro.umd.edu/education/astro/moon/phases.html

The best way to illustrate it at home is to pretend your head is the earth, a ball is the moon and a flashlight is the sun. Hold the ball at arm's length, put the flashlight somewhere high enough that it shines on the ball (you can have someone hold it as long as they stay in the same place). You spin slowly in a circle while holding the ball watch how the light on the ball changes, it should be similar to the phases of the moon.

Answer 2

WRONG! The moon's phases have nothing to do with the shadow of the earth. The positions of the moon, the sun and the earth cause the phases. The dark portion of the moon is on the other side of it from the sun. The only time that the earth's shadow affects what the moon looks like is during a lunar eclipse.

You'll do better obsessing about Mr. T than pondering astronomy.

Answer 3

The Moon phases are NOT due to Earth's shadow falling on the Moon. Earth's shadow is always in the direction exactly opposite to the Sun. If the Sun were directly overhead, then the shadow would go in the same direction as our feet.

The only time that Earth's shadow can touch the Moon is when the Moon is exactly opposite (in direction) to the Sun, as seen from Earth. At Full Moon. When this happens (the Moon entering Earth's shadow), it is called a Lunar eclipse.

The Moon phases are due to the angle between the Sun, the Moon and Earth. The Sun always lights one half of the Moon (the side of the Moon pointing towards the Sun).

If the Moon is between us and the Sun, we cannot see its lit side, we only see the dark side. As it begins its orbit, we see a tiny bit at first (crescent Moon) and a bit more every day.

When the Moon is to the side, we see half the lit side (Quarter Moon: here, quarter refers to the fact that the Moon has gone one quarter of its orbit -- also the word quarter expresses a 90 degree angle in old astronomy jargon).

When the Earth is between the Moon and the Sun, we see the Moon entirely lit.

Answer 4

The moon's phases have nothing to do with the shadow of the earth. We are seeing the day and night sides of the moon as the moon moves in its orbit around the sun. As the moon moves between earth and the sun, we see less and less of it's surface because the side facing the sun is facing away from us. As the moon moves behind the earth to where the earth is closer to the sun then the moon, we see more and more of the moon because the day side of the moon is facing both the sun and us.

Answer 5

The moon phases are NOT due to the earth's shadow falling on the moon. It's because we always see the moon from the side except at a full moon. During a "new moon" phase the moon is closer to the sun. When the moon is fuller the earth is closer.

Answer 6

The moon phases are not due to the shadow of the Earth falling on the moon. That is a specific phenomenon which happens rarely - it is called a lunar eclipse. The sun is never up when you see one.

The phases of the moon: what you are seeing, essentially, is the sunny aspect of the moon in profile. You are seeing one end of the moon facing towards its light source (the sun), and the other end facing away from it.

Answer 7

Where did you go to school? Everybody knows that the moon is the back side of the Sun. When you see the moon during the day, you are actually seeing a double reflection of the back side of the Sun (the Moon) which is reflected off the interior surface of the "Firmament" (Where God keeps the water he used for Noah's flood) it is then re-reflected to the opposite interior side of the Firmament where it appears normal in the sky. I hope this explains it for you.

Answer 8

the earth would be also on the same line but between the sun and the moon

Answer 9

Yesterday morning I was the most beautiful moonset I have ever seen. The moon set just at dawn. It was huge and yellow on the western horizon as it reflected the sunrise. It was really awesome.