Why cant you see much of the moon during new moon?

Answer 1

How much of the moon you can see from earth depends on the angle of light from the sun striking the moon. The changing angles of sunlight reflecting back to earth from the sun, creates the moon's phases.

Answer 2

During the new moon phase, the moon is in a position between the Earth and the Sun. This means that light rays are still hitting the moon, but not in our direction. Since the way we see the moon at night is due to the Sun's rays hitting of the moon and the rays reflecting towards the Earth, we cannot see this phase since there are no rays bouncing towards us.

Answer 3

Because at that time, the moon is between the earth and sun. In that position,

the half of the moon that's lit up by the sun is the half turned away from you.

The half you see when you look at the moon is the "back" half, which is dark.

So you're looking in the general direction of the sun, trying to see the half of the moon

that's not lit up by anything .... a combination that makes it impossible to see the moon.

Answer 4

Because the moon is between the Earth and Sun, so we cannot see the moonlight reflecting from the Sun. The moon appears invisible to us on Earth. Basically, there is no portion of the Moon facing both the Sun and Earth.

Answer 5

You can see the New Moon, if by that you mean that first slim crescent. (It'll be quite close to the Sun, so look carefully). It's the "Dark of the Moon" you can't see, because all the Sun's light is on the far side (remember, the Moon has no light of its own, and only reflects sunlight).

edit: The strict definition of "new moon" is when it's totally dark, not when it's

a slim crescent.

Answer 6

Because the moon is in a position directly behind Earth, so Earth blocks the sun's light. With no light to reflect, the moon can't be seen. This also explains the phases of the moon ;)