Wondering what the Moon will look like tonight? Its shape and brightness change throughout the month, so there’s always something slightly different to see on its surface. Here’s the lunar phase for tonight, plus what you might be able to see.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Thursday, Oct. 1, NASA’s Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the Waning Gibbous phase, with 75% of its surface visible.
Without any visual aids, tonight you can see the Copernicus Crater, Oceanus Procellarum, and the Kepler Crater. If you have binoculars, you can also spot the Clavius, Alphonsus, Gassendi Craters. Finally, if you have access to a telescope, you’ll see the Apollo 11 and 15 landing spots, plus the Descartes Highlands.
When is the next Full Moon?
The next Full Moon will take place on October 25 or 26, depending on your timezone.
What are Moon phases?
The Moon takes around 29.5 days to orbit Earth, and as it moves through this cycle, we see different amounts of its sunlit side from here. That’s what creates the Moon’s different phases, from a thin crescent through to a half Moon and, eventually, the Full Moon. Once it reaches the Full Moon, the cycle starts over again. NASA explains that the phase we see depends on the Moon’s position in relation to Earth and the Sun.
The eight 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.
