Moon

[iwbus]

Why did the moon appear this afternoon in a clear blue sky?

[gen2]

That is because on cloudy days, the clouds block your view. The usual colour of a clear sky is blue, therefore you saw it in a clear blue sky.

Because the moon is in orbit around the earth, it is visible in the daytime sky 50% of the time and in the night sky 50% of the time. It is less obvious in the daytime because of the brighter sunlight. Also the daytime moon is smaller (third quarter - through new moon - to first quarter) than the night time moon (1st qtr - full moon - 3rd qtr).

[mibn2cweus]

Occasionally the Moon will pass directly between the Earth and Sun. This sometimes results in one of the most visually striking of astronomical events, a Total Solar Eclipse, which accompanies the path of the Moon�s shadow being cast on the Earth's surface.