If you’re heading outside tonight, don’t forget to look up. The Moon is still very much visible in its current position in the lunar cycle, so, if the sky is clear, try and spot some craters or mares.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Friday, Oct. 2, NASA’s Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the Waning Gibbous phase, with 64% of its surface visible.
With just your naked eye, tonight you can see the Mare Vaporum, the Oceanus Procellarum, and the Kepler Crater. If you have binoculars, you can also spot the Alps Mountains and the Alphonsus and Gassendi Craters. Finally, if you have access to a telescope, you’ll see the Apollo 12 and 15 landing spots, plus the Rima Ariadaeus.
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:
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.