why can you only sometimes see the moon during the day when its clear out?

Question

on some clear days i can see the moon and on other clear days i cant

Answer 1

There are several reasons why you don't always see the moon...

First - it must be a very clear day, and it helps if it is close to dawn/dusk.

Second - the moon must not be close to the sun in the sky or the bright sun will make the relatively dim moon impossible to see.

Third - the moon must actually be in the sky at the time you're looking. The moon rises and sets at a different time every day. One day the moon will be in a certain spot in the sky at 9 am, then the next day it will not be in that spot until say 9:30... This is because the moon is orbiting the earth. So, sometimes the moon is on the wrong side of the planet, and you will not be able to see it.

Answer 2

Starting with the full moon - A day or two before the "full moon" you will see the
moon rise just before sunset. At full moon it will rise as the sun sets, and of course
after the sun sets as the time goes on. Each night after, notice how the light on the
moon shrinks from full to last quarter and then to nothing (a 2 week time period).
Also during this time you will notice the moon "traveling" closer to the sun.
Two weeks from full moon (day may vary) look for the sliver of the moon just before sunset.
As the moon moves into NEW moon and you cannot see at all, watch for it to become noticable
as a sliver in the other direction as the sun sets. Follow the light on the moon as
it expands to first quarter and then to full. So you can actually see the moon and the sun
at the same time virtually most of the month.

Answer 3

The same reason you don't always see it at night.

The moon orbits the earth, so it depends on where it is in its orbit.

Do you understand that when the moon is full, it is diametrically opposite the sun from our perspective (that's why the face we see is totally illuminated.

So, at full moon the moon is rising as the sun is setting (opposite ends of the sky).

The day after full moon, the moon rises after the sun has set, and sets after the sun has risen - so you don't see it during the day. This continues until new moon.

Do, you understand that at new moon, the moon cannot be see because the sun is illuminating the back of it from our perspective?

At new moon, sun and moon are in the about the same line of sight (not quite exactly in line, except rarely in a solar eclipse). Just after new moon the moon rises just after the sun, and sets just after sun sets. So, from hereon until full moon, it is visible during the day.

Answer 4

Hi. Yes, you can see the Moon on any clear day provided two conditions are met. It cannot be a new Moon, and it cannot be so close to the Sun in the sky that you blink. (Actually the second condition I just made up, but you know what I mean.)

Answer 5

You see the light that the earth reflects to the moon and back. The moon has to be in the right location, so it is relatively rare.