Don’t miss the first quarter moon shining close to Jupiter in the daytime sky this week!
Earth’s moon is one of the few objects bright enough to be seen in the daytime sky — along with the most dazzling planets such as Jupiter and Venus and, more rarely, Jupiter, under ideal conditions. Then there’s the sun, whose light saturates the atmosphere from dawn until dusk, shielding the cosmos from our sight.
Why can I see the moon during the day?
The moon rises and sets about 50 minutes later with each passing night, according to NASA (local moonrise and moonset times depend on location). As a result, it can appear in both the daytime and nighttime depending on its phase. For example, a first quarter moon rises around midday and sets around midnight, making it easy to spot in the afternoon sky, while a last quarter moon rises around midnight and lingers into hours after sunrise.
Where will the moon be in the daytime sky?
Look to the eastern sky at midday on April 22 to find the 30%-lit waxing crescent moon close to the horizon, with its lower half hidden in shadow. Jupiter will be visible as a steady point of light 5 degrees below the lunar crescent — roughly the width of your three middle fingers held at arm’s length against the sky — though you may need a pair of binoculars to spot it in the glare of the daytime sky.
The moon will tread a lazy arcing path high overhead in the daytime sky for viewers in the U.S., before gracing the southwestern sky at sunset, ready to begin its night shift and set around midnight.
Is it safe to observe the moon with a telescope during the day?
Observing the moon through a telescope or binoculars during the day does not pose a risk to your vision, though the utmost care must be taken to never point your scope or binoculars in the direction of the sun, as doing so can cause immediate and permanent loss of sight. Try to position your telescope in the shade, with a large object or building blocking your line of sight to the sun and be sure to keep a check on its position as it travels towards the western horizon throughout the day.
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The dark forms of lunar maria, or lunar seas, will be easy to see with the naked eye, scarring the lunar surface where ancient lava flows once flooded networks of impact basins before hardening to form sweeping basaltic planes. A telescope will also reveal dramatic shadows playing across craters that sit close to the line separating night from day on the lunar surface, known as the terminator.
Want to get a closer look at the moon? Then be sure to peruse our picks of the best telescopes and binoculars for exploring the night sky. You may also want to read our guide to photographing the moon, along with our roundup of the top cameras and lenses for astrophotography.
<em>Editor’s Note: If you capture an image of the moon in the daytime sky and want to share it with Space.com’s readers, then please send your lunar photo(s), comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.