A daytime sighting of the moon is not particularly rare, but always seems a novelty. Like when you spot it, you just have to nudge the person next to you, whereas the nighttime moon usually needs no introduction. I found this one, close to setting, in a Northampton field a couple of mornings after the full Harvest moon.
When I see the moon in the daytime sky, I appreciate it as a three-dimensional object — something that’s not all that far away, sharing the same sunshine as the Earth. But at night that’s harder to perceive. The contrasting dark sky renders it as a two-dimensional spot. A bright spot, to be sure, but without context. “It’s only a paper moon sailing over a cardboard sea,” as the 1930s song goes.
In any case, it’s a good idea to mind the moon. It reminds me that time passes slower than the days and faster than the seasons.
Text and photo by Kevin Gutting