Beautiful picture of daytime moon on December 18, 2010 | Space

This image came from Brian Pate, a friend of EarthSky on Facebook. Cool image, Brian!

Daytime moon seen on December 18, 2010. Image by Brian Pate. Used with permission.

Astronomers call this sort of moon – a moon seen in blue daytime sky in the few days before full moon – a waxing gibbous moon. Watch for this sort of moon today, too, in late afternoon. And don’t forget the lunar eclipse Monday night!

I liked what another ES Facebook friend, Elena Wates, said about this photo. She simply said, “Ah. Her veil.” Yes.

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.