![]() ![]() One is that if the Moon orbited exactly on the same plane as the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, we would get one solar eclipse and one lunar eclipse per month. This fact is not too important to understanding the Moon by day, but it has all kinds of nice implications. The Moon revolves around the Earth approximately once every 28 days.Īnother fact is that the Moon orbits on a plane that is almost aligned with the orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun. It has no light of its own and the reason we see it is that it reflects the Sun's light. Now, let’s come back to our main topic: the Moon by day. This is, by the way, what gives us our seasons. And there is the small additional complication that the Earth's rotational axis is not perpendicular to its orbital plane around the Sun, it is instead inclined at approximately 23 degrees. However, from our point of view on Earth, it is the Sun that orbits us once a day, right?! Because of that, we see the Sun rise from the east and set in the west. The Earth spins on its axis once a day and rotates around the Sun once a year, that we all know. The Moon is super bright when it's suitably illuminated by the Sun, so even during the day it can be easy to see.ĭouble delight: The Moon revolves around the Earth about once every 28 days, and is visible by day – as depicted in this illustration – for about half the month, explains De Marco. The answer to this question is ultimately “why not”. ![]()
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