Because it’s only a day or two since the full Harvest Moon, the waning gibbous moon will rise in the east at dusk or early evening tonight (at middle and far northern latitudes). But that’s not all. You can see the moon in the west after sunrise, starting tomorrow.
Sylvia asks When is the best time to see the moon in the sky during daylight hours?
Sylvia, it’s easier to see a daytime moon when the moon is fairly far from the sun in the sky. When would that be? It would be around the time of full moon each month. A full moon is always 180 degrees from the sun, on the opposite side of the sky’s dome. Full moon was September 12, at 9:27 Universal Time (4:27 a.m. Central Daylight Time).
Generally, the full moon sets around sunrise. But the waning gibbous moon sets in the west after sunrise. In the next several mornings, after sunrise, look for the waning gibbous moon to sail over your western horizon during the morning hours. At mid-northern latitudes in North America, the moon will set at roughly 9 a.m. tomorrow, 10 a.m. on Thursday and 11:00 a.m. Friday.
Moon’s rising and setting time in your sky
By the way, the moon is up during the day half the time. It has to be, since it orbits around the whole Earth once a month. Sometimes the daytime moon is hard to see because it’s so near the sun in the sky. And consider that if the sun is low in the sky, a slim crescent daytime moon might be straight overhead, so that you’d have to crane your neck, looking up, to notice it.
September 2011 guide to the five visible planets
Ordinarily, we don’t look up during the day to see such a thin crescent moon. That’s one reason people are sometimes surprised to learn the moon is out so often during the day.
But as the moon gets farther from the sun in our sky, the portion of its lighted half turned in our direction increases. In other words, the farther the moon is from the sun, the larger the visible phase of the moon … and the easier to see a daytime moon. Starting on the 14th of September 2011, look for the daytime moon in the west after sunrise!
Has anyone noticed the bright light that the sun is enveloped during Sunrise? I can barely see through my windshield in the morning. It has happened on Sept 12 and Sept 13. Is there a phenomenon happening?
thank you
Rosani
what objects can be seen that are not in the milky way.
Jerry,
The only object outside our Milky Way galaxy that’s easy to see with the unaided eye is the great Andromeda galaxy (Messier 31), but it helps to have a moonless night. For more, click on http://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/andromeda-galaxy-closest-spiral-to-milky-way.
Bruce
what obects can be seen with the naked eye not in the milky way.
Time 9.55pm Tuesday 13th September 2011
Could anyone please tell me the name of the star/planet
that is showing low in the eastern sky?
thanks
It is jupiter, through a telescope tonight i saw jupiter and 3 moons in the eastern sky.
Same question as Warwick. What is the extraordinarily bright planet / star / object that is low in the sky just north of east ( 80 degreees?) now – at 22.40 hours British Summer Time . It was there last night too! Thanks
Same question as Warwick and Stephen. It was so bright, even in a cloudy sky, that I originally thought it was a helicopter. Then I realised it hadn’t moved despite my having driven 10 miles.
Any suggestions gratefully received
My Mom was in Ky on Sunday and is now in TN. The last two nights towards the Eastern Sky she has seen a large moving light. Brightly colored and moving in all directions. Any ideas of what this could be. She thinks it’s part of the broken space station.
What time? Was it moving or was it sparkling?
She said is was erratically moving, up and down and back and forth and it was late around Midnight.
Sometimes a brilliant star near the horizon sparkles so wildly that it gives the impression of moving up and down and all around. It could have been Capella in the northeast sky
Yes, everyone, that planet is Jupiter. For information on the planets in September, click on http://earthsky.org//astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury
Dear Earth Sky Team,
First off, I’ve been hooked to your website for almost a year now.
Great job, and keep it coming!
I was surprised to see moon rise on east, late evening on the 12th Sep, 2011. Partly this was due to “apparent” fast movement rising of moon seen against backdrop of buildings in the eastern horizon.
Why is this so pronounced? Is there some thing else at play?
Thank you,
-Mu2
At about 9:12 EST 09-13-11 there was a flash of yellowish orange light NE next to the moon. The sky was clear no clouds. Any thought?
It was 9:12 PM
Possibly a meteor
YES > Chasing the moon for photos the last couple of nights
Spectacular Gift of Glow as in > Sky Bliss!
In Alaska, when I take a negative picture of the sun between 1pm and 4pm with my cell phone, am I seeing the daytime moon passing through? I can see a small round object nearby, just wondering.