Ever seen a full moon in the daytime?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the phenomenon of observing a full moon during the daytime. A full moon occurs when the Moon is positioned directly opposite the Sun relative to the Earth. However, it is possible to see a nearly full moon in daylight due to the Moon's high position in its inclined orbit or when it rises shortly before sunset or sets shortly after sunrise. Observers in high latitudes may experience prolonged visibility of the nearly full moon during the day, as the Moon can appear bright even when the Sun is also in the sky.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of lunar phases and their relation to Earth and Sun positions
  • Basic knowledge of the Moon's orbital mechanics
  • Familiarity with the concepts of sunrise and sunset timings
  • Awareness of how latitude affects celestial observations
NEXT STEPS
  • Research lunar phase cycles and their visibility during different times of the day
  • Explore the Moon's inclined orbit and its impact on visibility
  • Learn about the effects of Earth's axial tilt on celestial observations
  • Investigate how atmospheric conditions can influence the perception of the Moon during the day
USEFUL FOR

Astronomy enthusiasts, educators, and anyone interested in understanding lunar visibility and celestial mechanics will benefit from this discussion.

Prosthetic Head
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I could swear i have, although when i started thinking about it could happen i got confused. You can probably tell I'm a newbie as there must be some really simple explanation to this problem. It might be a bit hard to explain without a diagram, but imagine a metaphorical one with the Sun on the left of the page and Earth in the middle. Imagine you're on the hemisphere of the Earth in daylight, you are therefore on the hemisphere of the Earth closest to the Sun, thus on the left of the Earth in our metaphorical diagram. As i understand it a full moon can only occur when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun. So the moon is now on the right of the page. Now how can you see the bright side of the Moon when you are on the bright side of the Earth? there's an Earth between you and the Moon.

Now i was thinking it must have something to do with a combination of the moon being "higher" and the Earth being tilted so you are effectively leaning backwards. So i got out my globe and ball and made a little model but i still can't work it out. I did a few internet searches and couldn't find anything useful. Now I am thinking three things either the problem's solution is so simple no one feels it needs explaining, you don't have a clue what I am going on about or i never did see that full moon in the first place.

Please help me out i think I am losing it :bugeye:

Cheers, Adam.
 
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A full moon rises at sunset and sets at sinrise. A moon that is not quite full can still appear to be full, and can rise an hour earlier than sunset, or set an hour after sunrise. Maybe that's what you saw. There's a few other variations, such as when the moon is high or low on its inclined orbit. As the moon passes behind the Earth as seen from the Sun, it's not completely in line or there'd be a lunar eclipse. It looks very full and we still call it a full moon, but a view through binoculars will show a little bit of terminator. But even then, you're going to see it close to the horizon shortly before sunset or after sunrise. People who live in high latitudes can have the almost full moon in the daytime sky for hours.
 
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