Daytime moon
Each month, the moon spends as much time in the daytime sky as it does in the night sky.
However, there are certain windows of each month when sunlight reflected from the moon is bright enough to be noticeable against the daytime blue sky.
A full moon is bright enough, but it is not visible in the daytime, as it rises around sunset and sets around sunrise.
For a few days before a full moon – during the waxing gibbous phase – the moon rises before sunset and sets before sunrise. It is bright enough to be visible in the eastern sky in the afternoon.
Similarly, for a few days after a full moon – during the waning gibbous phase – the moon rises after sunset and sets after sunrise. It is bright enough to be visible in the western sky in the morning.
Can a new moon be visible during the day?
A new moon rises and sets with the sun. So it is up in the sky throughout the day.
However, a new moon is not visible in the daytime because the side of the moon that faces Earth gets no sunlight.
When will daytime moon be visible next in 2026?
As the full moon falls on January 3, 2026, the moon will be visible in the daytime from December 28, 2025, to January 2, 2026, when it is in the waxing gibbous phase.
Look for it in the eastern sky before sunset. It will be visible lower in the eastern sky on consecutive days as the moon rises and sets on average 50 minutes later each day.
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