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Hey guys! Squeaks and I love looking up at the sky. Clouds, airplanes, the Moon, there's so much to see! And one clever Sci Show viewer recently asked us a really interesting question about the daytime sky. 8-year-old Dawson wants to know: Why can I see the Moon in the daytime?

Great question Dawson. It does seem kind of strange. Sometimes we think of the Moon as something we only see in the night sky. But that's not true. The moon is always hanging around. Sometimes it's out at night and sometimes it's out during the day. And much of the time it's visible for parts of both the day and the night. That's because the moon is on the move, and so is Earth.

You probably know that our planet, the Earth, is spinning around in place, kind of like a toy top. As it spins half of it faces the Sun and the other half faces away from the Sun. The part facing the Sun gets the Sun's light and for that part of the world it's daytime. And the part facing away from the Sun doesn't get any light. There it's nighttime. But things don't stay like that for long because the Earth is always spinning and every time our planet spins all the way around that's one day.

Okay. So the Earth is always spinning which makes different parts of the world go through day and night. But what's the Moon up to?

Well the Moon is also moving. It's travelling in a path around the Earth. We call this movement orbiting and it takes about a month for the Moon to orbit the Earth one time. So the Earth is spinning and the Moon is orbiting. But the most important part about why we can see the Moon is... the Sun! That's right the Sun makes it's own light, sending heat and warmth to us here on Earth but the moon doesn't.

The only reason we can see the moon, is because it's also getting light from the Sun. That light bounces off the Moon and comes down to us. So in order to see the Moon, we have to see the side of the Moon that's being lit up by the Sun. Just like the Earth, the Sun only lights half of the Moon at a time. And since the Earth is spinning and the Moon is orbiting, we see that lit up half of the Moon in different parts of the sky and at different times of the month.

Sometimes, the lit up side of the moon is facing the nighttime side of Earth. So people there can see the moon in their night sky. But as the moon slowly moves in its orbit, day by day, it swings around, so that more of its lighted half is facing the daytime side of Earth. And when that happens, we can see the moon during the day.

Now remember, it takes about a month for the moon to go all the way around the Earth. That means that for part of the month, you'll see the moon more in the daytime. And, for the other part, you'll see it more at night.

And maybe you've noticed when you look up at the sky that the moon doesn't always look like a big circle. Sometimes, the moon looks like a cookie with a bite taken out of it. Other times it looks like a thin little fingernail clipping. And sometimes it looks like a big round plate.

But the moon isn't really changing shape. It's just very slowly moving around the Earth, giving us different views of the side of the moon that's being lit up by the sun. So if you're a sky-watcher like Dawson and Squeaks and me, then keep an eye out for the moon. During the day, and at night. And ask questions! Just like Dawson did!

When do you see the moon during the daytime? And when can you see it mostly at night? And how does the moon's shape seem to change during the month? And while you're at it, if you can see the moon, take a picture and send it to us! We'd love to see it!

Thanks for your awesome question, Dawson! If you have any questions about the stars or the ocean or robots or monkeys or anything at all, ask an adult to help you leave a comment below, or email us at kids@thescishow.com. I'll see you next time!

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