July has been a month of cosmic magnificence, with sky-watchers being treated by the sight of rare spectacles. From a partial solar eclipse on 13 July to Mars being closer to the Earth than it has been in 15 years, brilliant moments have occurred.
That trend should continue this week as the calendar flips over. After the total lunar eclipse on 27 July – the longest in a century – the moon should be able to be seen in the early hours after sunrise for the next few days, all around the world.
The Science Behind the Children’s Moon
After the eclipse when it was full, the moon has entered its waning gibbous phase. This means it is growing smaller and yet more than half of it is visible, and it occurs every moon cycle.
In this phase, the moon rises after nightfall and sets after dawn, which means that if you look westward with a keen eye, you might spot a pale white moon in the blue sky.
The moon will appear higher and higher in the morning sky as it wanes (reduces in visible size). Currently, because of the orbits of the three bodies – the moon, the Earth and the Sun – are almost aligned, the moon setting in the west will reflect the morning light of the sun from the east.
A daytime moon is also called the children’s moon, says EarthSky, because it is only children’s eyes which are sharp enough to catch the pale outline after the sun rises.
Moon Sightings on Twitter
Since the eclipse was on 27 July, this phenomenon has already been witnessed across the world, with netizens rejoicing in the beautiful and rare sight.
Can you spot the moon peeking out amidst the cloudy skies?
To get a good glimpse of the daytime moon, look out over the western sky soon after sunrise – and may the clouds be merciful this week.
(With inputs from EarthSky)
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