Why can you see the Moon in the daytime?

It keeps its own hours

The Moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, so over a month its time in the sky slides all the way around the clock. Around new Moon it is up with the Sun and lost in the glare. Around full Moon it rises at sunset and is up all night. In between, it shares the sky with the Sun for hours.

At first quarter, the half-lit Moon rises around noon and is high in the south-east in the late afternoon: easy to spot on the walk home from school. At last quarter it is still up in the south-west after sunrise, there on the way to school.

Why the sky doesn't hide it

The blue of the daytime sky is sunlight bounced around by air. It is bright enough to hide the stars, but the Moon's sunlit surface is far brighter than any star, so it shows through, pale and chalky.

Try it this week

Look at the Moon calendar: if first quarter is in the next few days, look south-east to south between 3 pm and sunset. Hold out your hand and cover it with a thumbnail: the Moon is smaller than most people think.

Three questions children ask

Is the daytime Moon a different Moon? No: there is only one Moon, and the one you see after school is the same one you see at night, just in sunlight.

Why does it look so faint? Because the sky behind it is bright. The Moon is just as bright as at night; the blue sky around it is much brighter than a night sky, so there is less difference between them.

Can you see the Moon and the Sun at the same time? Yes, often, around the quarters. Never look at the Sun to check: find the Moon, and know the Sun is somewhere behind you or off to the side.

Draw it

Print the Moon journal and draw the daytime Moon once a day for a week, writing the time next to each. Children are often surprised that the shape and the time change together.