Why does moon shine in daytime

When the earth faces away from the sun it becomes dark and we see the moon in the sky. Every night we look up and see the familiar face of the man-in-the-moon as the brightest object.

So what causes us to be able to see the moon during the day? This is what gives the moon the brilliant white glow. The relationship between the earth and the moon is kind of like a slow dance. The earth is tilted on an axis, all the while going around the sun and meanwhile, the moon is going around the earth. Ranging from , — , km at Perigee i.

This would be the planet Venus, which ranges in distance from 38 million km at its closest to million km at its farthest. It also gets a boost due to what is known as the Opposition Effect , which refers to how an object can appear brighter when it is illuminated from directly behind the observer.

It also appears brighter due to the fact that it is surrounded by the dark sky. Last, but not least, there is the effect of the Lunar soil itself, which prevents a phenomena known as limb darkening from occuring.

Basically, because the soil reflects more light back towards the Sun than in other directions, the center of the Moon appears just as luminous as its outer edges. Like most moons, ours is in synchronous rotation with the planet, which means one side is constantly facing towards the Earth.

The Moon makes a complete orbit around Earth every Over the course of the Moon completing an orbital period, it goes through eight phases — i. Essentially, the sun always illuminates only half of the moon, which we see from different angles as it rotates around the Earth.

At the beginning of the cycle, we cannot see the Moon because none of its illuminated side is pointed towards Earth. The orbital movements between the Earth, Sun and Moon means we see the Moon in its four principal phases throughout the month.

When the Moon is opposite the Sun, we see a full Moon and when it is between the Earth and Sun, it is a new Moon and not visible to us. The two other phases, first quarter and last quarter, occur between new Moon and full Moon, which is when we see it gradually wax and wane. Just like stars and planets, the Moon is there in the daytime too, moving within the celestial dome. For 12 hours a day the Moon is above the horizon, but its appearance may not coincide with daylight hours, so for any chance of observing, there is only a small 6-hour timeframe.

For more on this, read our guide to the phases of the Moon. Near new Moon it is too close to the Sun to be seen and when it is near full Moon, it is only visible at night after the Sun sets. Around 7 days before full Moon, look towards the eastern sky and you will see it rise in the afternoon.

After full Moon, it will be visible in the morning sky. Using a pair of binoculars or a telescope, you will that it looks a bit different to the Moon we see at night. If you do choose to observe the Moon at daytime, do so with caution as sunlight could damage your eyesight.