You can see the Moon during the day because it's bright enough to shine through the blue sky, and because for most of the month it's above the horizon for part of the daylight hours. The Moon keeps its own schedule, rising about fifty minutes later each day, so it spends roughly as much time in the daytime sky as in the night sky. The only times you can't catch it in daylight are around the new moon, when it's lost in the Sun's glare, and the full moon, when it rises at sunset and sets at sunrise.
The Moon keeps its own hours
It's easy to grow up thinking the Moon belongs to the night, because that's where picture books put it. But the Moon isn't tied to darkness at all. It goes around Earth about once a month, and while it does, Earth spins underneath it once a day. Because the Moon moves a little eastward along its orbit each day, Earth has to turn a bit extra to bring it back into view, and it rises about fifty minutes later than the day before.
Over a month, that delay carries moonrise all the way around the clock. Some weeks the Moon rises in the morning, some in the afternoon, some in the evening and some after midnight. Whenever it's up during daylight hours, and the sky is clear, you can usually see it. As a NASA explainer on the daytime Moon puts it, the Moon "actually spends almost as much time in the daytime sky as the night."
Here's roughly when each phase is in the daytime sky, from mid-northern latitudes:
| Phase | When it's up in daylight | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| New moon | All day, but invisible | Next to the Sun, lost in the glare |
| Waxing crescent | Late morning to sunset | Trailing the Sun across the sky, to its east |
| First quarter | Noon to sunset | In the east and south-east in the afternoon |
| Waxing gibbous | Mid-afternoon to sunset | Low in the east in late afternoon |
| Full moon | Only at dusk and dawn | Opposite the Sun, on the horizon |
| Waning gibbous | Sunrise to mid-morning | Low in the west in the morning |
| Third quarter | Sunrise to around noon | In the south and south-west in the morning |
| Waning crescent | Sunrise to mid-afternoon | Leading the Sun, to its west |
For the phase today, and how much of the Moon is lit, see our moon phase today page. The full sequence is in moon phases in order.
Why it's bright enough to see in daylight
The Moon makes no light of its own. It shines by reflecting sunlight, and in the daytime it's lit by exactly the same sunshine that's falling on your street. In a sense, a daytime Moon is just a sunlit gray rock a quarter of a million miles away, and sunlit rocks are bright.
The question is whether it can stand out against the sky. The daytime sky is bright because air scatters sunlight, especially blue light, in every direction. That glow is enough to drown out the stars, which are still there overhead but far too faint to compete. The Moon is a different matter: after the Sun, it's by far the brightest thing in the sky, and even a half-lit Moon is many times brighter than the patch of blue sky around it. So it shows through.
A few other things can be seen in daylight if you know exactly where to look. Venus, the brightest planet, is visible to the naked eye on clear days at some points in its cycle. But the Moon is the only one most people ever notice without trying.
Why the daytime Moon looks pale and bluish
A daytime Moon rarely looks like the silver disc you see at night. It's pale, washed out and often faintly blue. That's because you're seeing it through the bright sky. The blue light scattered by the air between you and the Moon is added on top of the Moon's own light, which lowers the contrast and tints it.
Low in the sky, the opposite happens. Near the horizon the Moon's light passes through so much air that the blue is scattered out of the beam, and a daytime Moon close to rising or setting can look yellowish or orange, as we explain in why is the moon orange.
Where to look for the Moon in daylight
If you want to find it on purpose, the easiest phases are the quarter and gibbous Moons, which are big and bright and well away from the Sun:
- Afternoon, in the second week after new moon: look east and south-east for a first quarter or waxing gibbous Moon. Our guide to the gibbous moon explains that phase.
- Morning, in the week or so after full moon: look west and south-west for a waning gibbous or third quarter Moon, often still high after breakfast.
- Crescents are harder, because they're thin and close to the Sun. Stand in the shadow of a building so the Sun itself is blocked, and never look directly at the Sun while you search.
A quick way to tell which half of the month you're in: an afternoon Moon is waxing, and a morning Moon is waning. Our guide to waxing vs waning moons has more tricks.
The Southern Hemisphere sees the same timing, with the directions mirrored: look north rather than south, and the lit side is reversed.
Myths about the daytime Moon
Because the Moon is so linked with night in stories and symbols, a daytime Moon still surprises people, and a few misunderstandings come with it:
- "The Moon only comes out at night." It's above the horizon about half the time, day or night, depending on the phase.
- "A daytime Moon is a different moon, or a reflection." It's the same Moon, in the place its orbit has carried it.
- "Seeing the Moon in the day means something unusual is happening." It happens on most days of the month. There's no astronomical event involved, just clear weather and good timing.
Some people like the daytime Moon as a small, private signal to slow down for a moment, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a lovely thing to notice over a school run or a lunch break, and it's there more often than most of us realize.
Questions readers ask
Why is the Moon out in the morning?
Because it's in its waning half, the two weeks after the full moon. A waning Moon rises in the evening or overnight and is still in the sky after sunrise, so it hangs in the west through the morning.
Can you see a full moon during the day?
Only just. A full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, so you can catch it low on the horizon at dusk or dawn, opposite the Sun. A nearly full gibbous Moon, a day or two before or after, is easier to spot in daylight.
Why can we see the Moon in the daytime but not the stars?
The stars are still there, but they're far too faint to show through the brightness of the scattered blue sky. The Moon is much brighter than any star, bright enough to outshine the sky around it.
Is it rare to see the Moon during the day?
No. On most days of the month the Moon is above the horizon for at least part of the daylight hours. The exceptions are a few days around the new moon and the full moon.
