Eventually we notice that it is possible to see the moon during the day.. Sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. But how does this happen? Shouldn't she be seen from Earth only at night?
First, it is important to clarify a question: the moon is always present in the sky, both during the day and at night. What happens is that, because it does not have its own light, it is only possible to see it when it is, in some way, reflected by the sunlight.
During the phase of new Moon, as the sun is illuminating the hidden side of our natural satellite, it cannot be seen by us either during the day or at night. During the full moon, it only appears on the celestial horizon when it is already nightfall.
Therefore, the moon, during the day, can be seen yes, but only during the waning and crescent phases.. The first only appears in the morning and the second, after noon, because the waning rises immediately after the flood period, at midnight, remaining in the skies for 12 hours. The moon in its crescent phase, more common, can only be seen during the afternoons because it only rises in the middle of the day, when it is lit on about 50% of its surface during the same 12 hours. Illumination, in addition to the reflection of sunlight, depends, above all, on the degree of inclination of the sun's rays.
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The time differences regarding the appearance of the moon in the sky are explained by the fact that, each day, she was born 48 minutes later. Therefore, as the position of the moon in relation to the sun's rays changes, its phases and time of appearance on the horizon also change.
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "Why do we see the moon during the day?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/por-que-vemos-lua-durante-dia.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
