When you can see the moon during the day, does the mean the other side of the planet can’t see the moon at night? Does this have to do with the phases of the moon?

Question

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

Answer 1

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.