I feel like, outside of the moon phases, I can see the moon every night I’ve thought to check. But sometimes you can see the moon during the day, which would mean that it’s facing that side of the planet. Would that mean the moon isn’t visible to places where it’s currently night? And even during the “new” moon phases, it’s still facing the planet at night, right? Because the next night it’s there but just a sliver?
I just can’t wrap my head around this.
In: Physics
Yes. Sort of. If the moon were on the horizon at noon, then someone on the other side of the planet could see it for about half of the night. See [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/D5eHLarKGMMkq2zt8) link for a diagram. Hopefully it’ll all be clear with that.
The earth turns faster than than the moon orbits the earth. So the earth does a complete spin, called a day, before the moon completes its orbit, called a month (roughly). The position of the moon in the sky is a function of the time of day. Over a day the moon doesn’t move enough to be noticeable. So everybody on the planet gets a chance to see it as it appears to you that day. The appearance of the moon is a function of the month, that is, as the moon moves through its orbit around the earth, the angle of the sunlight hitting it changes. Over the course of several days the appearance of the moon changes, and the time it appears to you, and everyone, changes. But it takes longer than a day to notice.
The moon is far away. You seeing the moon during the day only means some of the people who are in a night time position don’t see the moon. If you draw a circle on a far side of a piece of paper and then a dot on the other, you can draw the observable with simple lines from the dot to the circle. If you add another paper with a sun, you can represent day and night.
When there’s a full moon, the moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise.
When there’s a new moon, the moon is close in the sky to the sun, so you can’t see it.
At midnight(according to the sun), you can see any moon that’s more than half full.
At sunrise, you can see any moon that’s waning.
At sunset, you can see any moon that’s waxing.
At noon, have line of sight to moons that are less than half full, but if it’s close to a new moon the atmosphere might be too bright to see it.
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