What is today’s moon phase?
As of Monday, March 9, the Moon’s phase is waning gibbous. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, 61% of the Moon will be illuminated tonight.
This guide from NASA helps us understand what we’re seeing. For example, without any visual aid it is quite possible that you will be able to see Mare Imbrium, Mare Vaporum and Tycho crater. If you have binoculars, you’ll be able to see even more, including Gassendi, Archimedes Crater, and Clavius Crater. If you have binoculars, you’ll see a lot, including the Apollo 12 landing site, Rhema Ariades, and the Caucasus Mountains.
When is the next full moon?
In North America, the next full moon is predicted to occur on April 1.
What are the moon phases?
NASA says the Moon takes about 29.5 days to orbit the Earth, going through a set of eight phases. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the part illuminated by the Sun changes during the trip, which is why it can appear full, half-illuminated, or barely visible at different points in the cycle. We call these changing phases of the moon, and there are eight in total:
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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