Sun and Moon together.

Suzanne B · #1 (**permalink**) 09-01-2009, 07:54 PM

I saw a sight yesterday that I can't remember seeing before and that was at about 3.30pm when I looked one way down the street I could see the sun and when I looked the other way up the street I could see the moon.
It was a clear day with blue skies so both were really bright, I wish I could have took a photo but it was impossible to get them both in the same shot.
Anyway I was wondering how often this happens?
I know I've seen the moon out really early/late in the day but not seen both so close together.

tcvarlh · #2 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 01:41 AM

We get day and night because of the Earth rotating - we get daytime when our bit of the world is facing the sun. The moon orbits the Earth - going around us once a month.

If the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun (about one week each month), then we see the moon during the night.

If the moon is on the same side of the Earth as the sun (also about one week a month), then we do not usually see the moon at all as the side of the moon nearest us in in darkness.

For the other two weeks a month the moon is positioned in such a way that sunlight can still reflect from the moon surface and reach us (which means we can see the moon) while we can see the sun at the same time. This means that the moon and sun will be at opposite sides of the sky.

h

ps. It was quite a sight wasn't it?

Suzanne B · #3 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 10:17 PM

Hi h,
I have seen the moon and sun in the sky at the same time before, but they did look unusually close this week.
I never realised that it was such a regular occurrence though, makes me wonder where I've been looking all my life!
Thanks for the info.

Suzanne