Howling at the daytime moon?

This photo of the moon was taken this afternoon...

July 27, 2015

Rod Skinner 1 minute read

There is always an air of disbelief when people look up into the sky and see the moon in broad daylight.

Questions abound: “I saw the moon in a clear blue sky, why? How can this happen? I thought the moon was visible only at night?”

Followed by a sense of dread: Is the world coming to an end? Okay, we added the last one just to give this old chestnut of a story a good kick!

The simple fact is, the moon is up in the daytime as often as at night. It’s only during the full moon that rises in the east as the sun is setting in the west that it is not up at all during the day. Maybe that is why werewolves and other mystical creatures are so fond of the full moon?

The moon rises and sets on its own schedule, having nothing to do with sunrise or sunset, and varying in a systematic way throughout each month as the moon pursues its monthly orbit around the earth.

So when can you see the moon in the daytime?

Basically, you need three things to see the daytime moon:
You will need to look within a week or so of the date of full moon. Sounds easy?
Before full moon, look for the daytime moon in the afternoon.
After full moon, look for the daytime moon in the morning.

Most importantly, you need to look up! The daytime moon is often up there, but it’s pale against the blue sky and often missed among the clouds.