I know it’s sun’s light that reflect back on earth, but how sometimes we see it on bright day? And why full moon wouldn’t be eclipse if it’s the phase the moon is right in front of the earth and the sun illuminating right behind? Shouldn’t it also depend of earth rotation, seeing slightly different angle by sunrise or sunset?
In: Physics
> how sometimes we see it on bright day?
There’s no rule stating that the Moon has to stay on the night side of the Earth. It orbits around the Earth once every four weeks, spending half its time on the Sunward side of Earth. The closer to a New Moon it gets, the more time it spends visible in daylight hours.
> why full moon wouldn’t be eclipse if it’s the phase the moon is right in front of the earth and the sun illuminating right behind?
Like the Earth’s spin, The Moon’s orbit is tilted relative to the plane of the Earth’s orbit. This means that for most of the year, the Earth, Moon, and Sun cannot fall perfectly in line with each other. Roughly twice per year, the Moon’s orbit intersects the Earth-Sun alignment and eclipses become possible (see [Eclipse season](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_season)).
Latest Answers