The moon is still very small in our skies tonight, but it won’t be long before it’s full and bright again. It’s currently working its way through the lunar cycle, and we’re only on day two, so we’ve got a few days before we start to see it taking shape again.
The lunar cycle is the process of the moon’s visibility. There are eight phases, and the whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth.
Let’s find out what’s happening with the moon tonight, Sept. 23.
What is today’s moon phase?
As of Tuesday, Sept. 23, the moon phase is Waxing Crescent, and according to NASA’s Daily Moon Observation, there’s just 3% visible tonight.
Once again, there isn’t enough of the moon being illuminated by the sun, so there’s nothing for us to see tonight.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon will be on Oct. 6. The last full moon was on Sept. 7.
What are moon phases?
NASA tells us that moon phases are part of a 29.5-day cycle of the moon’s orbit. This changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us; sometimes it looks full, sometimes it looks like it’s disappeared entirely, but we always see the same side of the moon, it’s just how much of it is lit up by the Sun that changes depending on where it is in its orbit.
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This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:
New Moon – The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The moon starts losing light on the right side.
Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) – Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
