What is today’s moon phase?
As of Thursday, December 11, the moon phase is third quarter. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Observations, this means 53% of the Moon is illuminated tonight.
If you don’t have any visual aids, there’s still plenty for you to see tonight, including Tycho and Kepler craters and Oceanus Procellarum. If you have binoculars, you will also be able to see the Grimaldi Basin, Clavius Crater, and the Alps Mountains. Through binoculars, the Caucasus Mountains, Apollo 15, and Rhema Ariades are all visible.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon will be on January 3.
What are the moon phases?
NASA says that the Moon goes through a cycle of about 29.5 days and during this time we see its different phases. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the sunlight falling on it changes as it revolves around the Earth. That is why it looks full, half burnt or sometimes completely hidden. The cycle has eight main stages:
New Moon – The Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it is invisible to the eye).
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Waxing Crescent – A small patch of light visible to the right (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – The right half of the Moon is illuminated. It looks like a half moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half burnt, but not full yet.
Full Moon – The entire face of the Moon is illuminated and completely visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon begins to lose light from the right. (Northern hemisphere)
Third quarter (or last quarter) – Another half moon, but now the left side is illuminated.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left before it gets dark again.
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