Can stars be seen from a deep, narrow canyon on a clear day?

Question

In a book by a noted historian, Al Sieber and his Apache scouts stated seeing just that from a deep narrow canyon in North Central Az on a clear day in 1874.

Answer 1

I don't think so as the sky is still being lit up by the sun...it's only when the sun drops below the horizon that it gets dark.

Maybe they were seeing a comet and mistook it for a star ?

Answer 2

No, this is a common misconception.  You'll sometimes read about 'holes so deep and dark, that when you look up to the sky, you can see the stars in daytime'.  But I'm afraid this doesn't work.

Answer 3

I have easily observed using a telescope and binoculars, a handful of the brightest stars and planets during the early morning, shortly after sunrise, when the air was exceptionally clear here in Ireland. And a friend of mine, David Moore, recently spotted the International Space Station by naked eye in broad daylight.

So in a high desert, with lower humidity (15-10%) and clearer skies, it is easily possible that Al Sieber and his Apache scouts spotted Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Sirius, Arcturus, Vega and/or Capella during the day, from a well shaded canyon during the day. Also, in 1874, there was far less dust and soot pollution.

Answer 4

No!  The sun lights the sky during the day.  Being in a deep, narrow canyon will make it dark where you are but it won't make the sky dark.  If you look up you will see light.  The sunlight is so bright that you cannot see stars in the daytime.

EDIT:

Yes, it is possible to see the ISS during the day, and Venus during the day when the sun is low.  However, those are not stars.  They are also much, much closer to Earth than any star other than our Sun.  Those distant stars cannot be seen in the daytime.

Answer 5

It seems unlikely because the sky would still be bright from the sun and that generally obscures the stars.