From childhood, the idea was formed in our head that the Sun can be seen during the day, and the Moon - at night. The sphere of "activity" of the heavenly bodies was clearly distributed. However, a strange fact is obvious: quite often the night luminary is visible in the middle of the day. Paradox or just gaps in our astronomical knowledge? Definitely the second option. And in our article we will try to explain in simple terms why the Moon is visible during the day.
Reasons for the visibility or invisibility of objects in the sky
Different celestial bodies in the field of view from the Earth are visible to varying degrees. The sun is incomparably brighter against the daytime sky than the moon at night. At the same time, we remember that the distance from the satellite to the Earth is much less, cosmically less. Understanding this is important when we consider why the Moon is visible during the day.
There is such a thing as the brightness of cosmic bodies - magnitude. In order for them to be clearly visible during daylight hours, their brightness should be much greater than that of the daytime sky. So, the magnitude of the clear sky during the day is 9.5, and the Moon - 12.7. The excess is obvious, and therefore the satellite for all factorsshould be noticeable, though not strongly contrast with the background. Here is the simplest and most understandable explanation for us, not astronomers, why the Moon is visible during the day.
When can the Moon and Sun be seen at the same time?
We learned very well from childhood that the Moon revolves around the Earth, and the Earth revolves around the Sun. To this we must add that the planet also moves around its axis. The heavenly bodies seem to be in constant dance, changing positions. And this is extremely important to take into account when figuring out when and why the Moon is visible during the day.
When all conditions are taken into account, you can only see the Moon and the Sun together on a full moon. At this time, the sunset and the moon rise coincide. The rest of the time, the satellite should theoretically be visible during the day. But other factors also play a role. The Moon is better visible in the daytime sky during periods when it approaches the full phase, the angular distance from the Sun is greater. In other phases, growing and aging, the side of the satellite illuminated by the Sun is small and turned towards it. Accordingly, a narrow strip of the new month during the day will be extremely difficult to see. That's why the Moon is not always visible during the day: sometimes it's just hard to see.
Atmospheric properties and contrast of astronomical bodies
The atmosphere of our planet in the daytime has a blue color (imagining at once the view of a clear sky). Also due to the scattered particles of light from the Sun, it is bright. It is the brightness of the Earth's daytime atmosphere that drowns out the brightness of the Moon. The latter, due to the balls of the atmosphere, could also be visible to us in blue, but the low contrast makes it difficult to do this. If aIf the moon appears in the sky during the day, then this is most often a pale spot that is easy to miss. However, this did not prevent astronomers from conducting their studies of the satellite's surface even during daylight hours.
Thus, we understand that the light in the atmosphere of our planet makes it difficult to see a noticeable outline of the Moon, as at night. For a significant part of its cycle, the satellite is in a position where it is clearly visible next to the Sun during the daytime. Therefore, even the question of why the Moon is visible during the day is even more relevant, but why it is not so clearly visible.
Experiments with photographs of the Moon's surface
Despite the pallor of the outline, the moon is visible to the naked eye during the day. Astronomers could not miss such a moment: since it can be seen without equipment, then what will happen if technology is applied? Experiments began with photographing the surface of the moon during the day. I must say that their quality was pretty good, given the atmospheric conditions. The first such picture was taken using a conventional digital camera attached to a telescope. The result was expected: due to the low contrast of the Moon against the background of the daytime sky, its image was fuzzy.
The experiment was continued under the same conditions and with the same technique, but in black and white. The picture turned out to be somewhat more contrasty. To improve the image, used the familiar "Photoshop". Processing made it look like one of the shots that are obtained when shooting in the evening. Thus, the photo becameit is possible to consider relief objects. It is noteworthy that both large craters (Grimaldi, Gassendi, Aristarchus) and smaller ones are clearly visible.
Experiments given as an example with shooting the lunar surface during the day prove that the satellite is not just visible during daylight hours. It can even be explored from the astronomical side. In our opinion, the question of why the Moon is visible during the day has already found a very clear answer.
Conclusions
There are many mysteries in space for us, but humanity has managed to study the nearest objects to some extent. The night luminary, the satellite of the Earth are the objects of romantic views, accustomed to contemplate it only in the dark. However, the Moon can also be seen during the day, sharing the firmament with the Sun.
In our article we tried to understand in simple terms why the Moon can be seen during the day and what is the reason that sometimes we do not notice it. We hope that we have helped you expand your knowledge of the world around you.
