What is today’s moon phase?
As of Monday, December 15, the moon phase is Waning Crescent. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Observations, this means 18% of the Moon is illuminated tonight.
Tonight, without any visual aid, you will only be able to see the Aristarchus Plateau, However, if you have binoculars, you will also be able to see Grimaldi Basin and Gassendi Crater. Rainer Gamma is also visible through binoculars.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon will be on January 3. The last full moon was on 4 December.
What are the moon phases?
According to NASA, the Moon completes one cycle in about 29.5 days and during this time we see it passing through different phases. We always see the same side, but the sunlight on it changes as it revolves around the Earth. That’s why sometimes it looks full, sometimes half-full, and sometimes you can’t see it at all. There are eight main stages in the cycle:
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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