Quick question - is it safe to observe the Moon during daylight?

[jonathan]

Just in case I'm missing something here...

[Ericgraham]

Hi Jonathan,

Yes, quite safe so long as you stay clear of the sun. In daylight the contrast will be low. Also try finding the brighter stars in daytime- hint, make sure you are focussed at infinity first

[Kai]

As long as your careful with the position relative to the Sun you can observe the Moon and other planets during daylight.

[saturn4me]

As long as your careful with the position relative to the Sun you can observe the Moon and other planets during daylight.

Wow i didn't know that.Obviously ive seen the moon in daylight but never planets.How much of planets would you see in daylight and how would i do it?

[Kai]

Ive seen Venus , Jupiter and Saturn during daylight , you wont seen any detail (they seem like bright stars) also Vega

I used a Planetarium and worked out their position relative to the sun and then went hunting using the finderscope first and sweep the area until you see the planet pass through your fov , then use the scope with your eyepieces.

[saturn4me]

Ive seen Venus , Jupiter and Saturn during daylight , you wont seen any detail (they seem like bright stars) also Vega

I used a Planetarium and worked out their position relative to the sun and then went hunting using the finderscope first and sweep the area until you see the planet pass through your fov , then use the scope with your eyepieces.

Fantastic! I'll have to remember that when we have a clear day.You can tell im a novice at this cant you because i never even thought it would be possible to see planets and brighter stars in daylight.Thanks for that:)

[brantuk]

First time I saw Venus the Sun had just gone down below a hill in the Lake District and it wasn't quite twilight - Venus was following it but still above the hill and I could clearly see the phase. Even swmbo commented it looked just like the moon. It was a beautiful sharp crescent. That was in the early days before we knew what to expect

[John]

Venus looks better with some light still in the sky I reckon - it's brightness and glare seems to mask it's phase as it gets darker. I've also had some nice views of Jupiter with a little twilight still remaining.

[Ericgraham]

Set your scope on Venus at dawn and keep following it as the sun rises. When you know where to look, you'll easily find it with the naked eye

[saturn4me]

Nice tips there.Thanks guys!

[JimStan]

I remember seeing Venus in broad daylight with the famous 26" Alvan Clark refractor at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington D.C. This was on "Astronomy Day" several years ago. The planet was clearly visible, but being the middle of the afternoon, the "seeing" was terrible. The planet actually looked better through the "finder scope" mounted on the Clark's tube! Oh, the "finder scope" alone was to die for ! ! !

This link will tell you more about the place:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Observatory

The Telescope : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USNO26in-2.jpg

Oh, and BTW, we saw the Vice President of the U. S. , Dan Quayle land in a Navy helicoptor and walk to his residence the day we were there. He was probably no more than 100 feet from us as he walked up the path from the helicopter to the house.

Jim S.

[listy]

cool i was wondering about day time viewing thanks

[JohnnyD333]

Nice Jim,

Living in Maryland has its perks, being so close to DC. A 26" scope must have been quite a sight. Although I wont comment on Quayle personally, it must have been cool to see him so close in government choppers.