Why is it that sometimes we can see the moon when it's still day???

Question

Maybe it's a silly question everyone knows the answer to...but I really want to know, hehe

oh and if we can see it here when the sun is still up, does it mean that on the other side of the world they can't see the moon at all? at night?

Answer 1

The only time the moon is NOT visible during any part of the day is the full moon, when it's on the opposite side of Earth to the sun.

The Earth spins around once every 24 hours. The moon goes around the Earth every 4 weeks or so. For half of this 4 weeks, it's on the sunlit side of the Earth, or the day side. In other words, it will be seen clearly during the part of the day that your part of the Earth is facing it. But you will only see a small phase, like a crescent, because most of the sunlit side of the moon is facing away from the Earth.

For most of the rest of the 4 weeks, the moon is more "behind" the Earth. But it will still be seen from part of the day side of the Earth, until it's directly on the other side, or the night side, of the Earth. At that time, we see it as full moon because the WHOLE sunlit side of the moon is directly facing the night side of the Earth.

Ever notice that the moon seen at daytime is never full?

And if the moon is partly on the daytime side of Earth, as you've seen, then some parts of the Earth in night time will be able to see it as well. The only time it's NEVER up during the night is that part of the 4 weeks when it's completely on the same side of Earth as the sun. That's new moon, and it can't be seen on the day side anyway (unless it causes an eclipse). That's because the sunlit side of the moon is facing directly AWAY from the Earth.

Answer 2

The Moon moves in such a way that it can be in the sky at the same time as the Sun at some times, and when the Sun is down at others. When the Sun is up the light that it gives us is scattered by the atmosphere making the sky a rather bright blue as opposed to the black that we see when the Sun is down. This bright blue completely overpowers and washes out the light from the stars, but the Moon (and Venus, for that matter) is bright enough to overcome this. So we see it.

And every square mile of the Earth can see the Moon if it is in the sky for that particular point. So the people on the other side of the world can definitely see the Moon, night or day.
They just can't see it at the same time that we can. And vice-versa.

Answer 3

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 4

At the time of the full moon, it is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun. From new moon thru first quarter to full moon it is following the sun through the sky and from full moon thru last quarter to new moon is leading the sun. The angle between the sun, earth and moon is constant at any given day as the earth rotates, so everyone one earth sees the same thing: If you see the first quarter moon in the sky at 3pm, then 12 hours later someone on the other side of the earth will see the first quarter moon in the sky at 3 pm.
During the time the moon is trailing the sun, you might see it in the sky during daylight in the afternoon. During the time it is leading the sun, it will appear in the morning. The nearly full moon is the one most people see in the late afternoon because more people are out in cars looking then while many fewer are out in the a.m. and may not be awake enough to look.

Answer 5

The Moons visibility relies upon on its section. whilst it rather is 'new' it lies right now between the Earth and the solar and subsequently it rather is invisible with the aid of fact the sunlit fringe of the Moon is dealing with faraway from the Earth and likewise with the aid of fact it rather is lost interior the Suns glare. the only time whilst we can see the hot Moon is throughout image voltaic eclipse. The Moon then pulls away east from the solar (relative to the Suns place interior the sky) and so will become seen interior the night sky as a crescent. in case you could think of, as quickly as the solar has carried out 1 / 4 of its orbit around the Earth, the attitude between the solar and Moon is ninety stages at which element we are saying the Moon has reached 1st quarter and is seen as a nil.5 disk interior the afternoon and night sky. It then keeps in its orbit till it reaches a nil.5 way around its orbit, via which era it rather is definitely complete. in this time that's going to nevertheless upward push till now the solar contraptions and so would be seen rather prominently interior the east/south-east in the time of the afternoon. via the time it reaches complete it will be right now opposite the solar interior the sky and so rises with the aid of fact the solar contraptions. After complete, the opposite subject occurs and because it strikes via final quarter and back in direction of new. it rather is then seen interior the morning sky till it disappears back into the Suns glare. rather the better the elongation between the solar and the Moon, the longer it rather is seen in the time of the day.

Answer 6

well, the moon kinda orbits at its own pace.
it doesn't stay connected over say a single country all the time.
so sometimes it moves into the scene where the sun is. its still catching some of the sun's light too.

thats correct the people on the "other" side of the world cannot see the moon and its dark time for them.

others (on the left or right) CAN see it, but its about sunset time for them.(time zones)

Answer 7

That is an interesting question. I think that we see the moon in the day because it is going down and the sun is coming up.

Answer 8

The moon has its phases and when it is waning gibbous we can see it in day time.