Now that the Full Moon has passed, from our point of view the Moon will appear smaller each night. This is because e have entered the waning part of the lunar cycle.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Wednesday, March 4, the Moon phase is Waning Gibbous . According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, 99% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.
With just your naked eye tonight you can see the Aristarchus Plateau, Copernicus Crater, and the Mare Serenitatis. If you have binoculars, you should also catch a glimpse of the Mare Nectaris, Archimedes Crater and Endymion Crater. A telescope will help you see all this and even more, including the Apollo 15 and 16 landing spots, and the Fra Mauro Highlands.
When is the next Full Moon?
In North America, the next Full Moon is predicted to take place on April 1.
What are Moon phases?
NASA says the Moon takes around 29.5 days to circle Earth, moving through a set of eight distinct phases along the way. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the portion lit by the Sun changes as it travels, which is why it can look full, half-lit, or barely visible at different points in the cycle. These changing views are what we call the lunar phases, and there are eight in total:
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).
Mashable Light Speed
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. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last 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.
