Why can we sometimes see the moon during the day? | Hey Ray

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - We love questions from our viewers.

Kathy asked me something I get asked a lot, and that is why we can sometimes see the moon during the day.

The moon seems like it is just a nighttime thing, however, there are some times during the month when we can see the moon during daylight. It kind of blends into the sky a bit, so many people just don't notice it.

We also need the sky conditions to cooperate. In this area that can be a big issue.

Let's start with how we see the moon in the first place.

You likely have heard the term "moonlight." Moonlight is actually sunlight. The moon just reflects the sunlight back to Earth. That is why we see the moon. How much light we see reflected off the moon is dependent on it's position in relation to Earth and the sun.

This is why we have moon phases.

When the moon is full, it is opposite of the sun from Earth's perspective. To see the moon during the day, the moon would have to be in the opposite part of the sky that the sun is in, too. This gives the Moon the ability to reflect more of the sun's light. Since the sun is so bright, if the moon were close to it in the sky, it would just get drowned out.

That is why we only see it during certain parts of the moon's phases.

Since the moon reflects the most sunlight when it is opposite of the sun, the best time is between the gibbous phases. This is when the moon is in the correct part of the sky and reflecting enough light from the sun. The moon rises before the sun sets in the eastern sky in the days before the full moon.

During the days following the full moon, the moon sets in the western sky after the sun rises.