Sometimes, we see the dayside, at other times, the nightside faces us. Phases of the MoonĪs the Earth’s orbit brings it around the Sun and the Moon moves around Earth, the objects in our sky are not fixed in place. It has a dayside and a nightside just like Earth. In short, as seen from space, half of the Moon’s surface is always illuminated. As it rotates on its axis, one side of it is illuminated by the Sun while the other is in darkness. Because of that, it is not fully lit up all the time. Though it looks bright in our sky, the Moon does not produce its own light. Still, it is about 400,000 times dimmer than the Sun whose apparent magnitude is −26.74. With an apparent magnitude of about −2.5 to −12.9, the Moon is the brightest object in our night sky. You can find Tariq at and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network.Before we get into what the Last Quarter moon phase is exactly, let’s first look to understand the different phases of the moon in general, and why they occur. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. Before joining, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. He became 's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019.
He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. Usually, the moon passes above or below the sun from our vantage point, but occasionally it passes right in front of the sun, and we get a solar eclipse. Now, the moon is between Earth and the sun. Waning crescent: Less than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight, and the amount is decreasing.įinally, the moon is back to its new moon starting position. The sun's light is now shining on the other half of the visible face of the moon. Last quarter: The moon has moved another quarter of the way around Earth, to the third quarter position. Waning gibbous: More than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight, but the amount is decreasing. When they do, we have a lunar eclipse as Earth's shadow crosses the moon's face. The sun, Earth and the moon are aligned, but because the moon’s orbit is not exactly in the same plane as Earth’s orbit around the sun, they rarely form a perfect line. More than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight.įull moon: The moon is 180 degrees away from the sun and is as close as it can be to being fully illuminated by the sun from our perspective. Waxing gibbous: The area of illumination continues to increase. See the moon phases, and the difference between a waxing and waning crescent or gibbous moon, in this infographic about the lunar cycle each month. Moon phases 2023 with times (Eastern Time) New Moon If you're looking for imaging gear, our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography guides can help prepare you for the next lunar sight.
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There's even a guide on how to photograph a solar eclipse. You can also check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as how to photograph a lunar eclipse for major moon events. If you need equipment for viewing the moon, check out our guide to the best telescopes and the best telescopes for kids. Here are the moon phases for 2023, according to NASA's SKYCAL.
But because the moon's orbit is tilted with respect to the Earth, this alignment does not occur every month. Occasionally, the moon's orbit does bring it directly between the Earth and the sun during a new moon, causing a solar eclipse or, even more amazingly, a total solar eclipse. The moon is also in the sky during the day, and without its Earth-facing side illuminated by the sun, observers can't really see it. The new moon is the so-called "invisible phase of the moon," according to NASA because the illuminated side of the moon is facing away from Earth, toward the sun. The next moon phase milestone in June will be the New Moon.
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