It’s day 17 of the lunar cycle, and we’re currently heading towards the New Moon. Until then, the moon will appear smaller and smaller each night.
What is today’s moon phase?
As of Friday, Nov. 7, the moon phase is Waning Gibbous. This means 94% of the moon is lit up tonight, according to NASA’s Daily Moon Observation.
The moon is getting smaller each night, but we’ve still got a while until the New Moon takes it away completely. For now, there is still plenty to see on its surface, if you look hard enough.
If you don’t have any visual aids, not to worry, there’s still things to spot, including the Aristarchus Plateau, Mare Serenitatis, and the Mare Vaporum. Binoculars will make things even more visible and you’ll have a chance to see the Posidonius Crater, Alphonsus Crater, and the Apennine Mountains. If you have a telescope hanging about, pull it out to see the Reiner Gamma, Apollo 14 landing spot, and the Rima Ariadaeus.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon will be on Dec. 4.
What are moon phases?
NASA notes that as the Moon orbits Earth over about 29.5 days, it goes through a series of phases. These phases occur because of the changing angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Depending on its position, the Moon can appear fully illuminated, partly illuminated, or completely hidden, even though we always see the same side. What changes is how much sunlight reflects off its surface, creating a repeating sequence known as the lunar cycle.
The eight main moon phases are:
Mashable Light Speed
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. (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.
