It’s Third Quarter tonight, which means it’s a half-moon with the left side still lit. There’s still lots to see on the moon’s surface before it disappears from view fully, so keep reading to find out what you can spot.
What is today’s moon phase?
As of Wednesday, Nov. 12, the moon phase is Third Quarter. This means 47% of the moon is lit up tonight, according to NASA’s Daily Moon Observation.
Looking up with no visual aids you’ll be able to see the Mare Imbrium and the Kepler and Tycho Craters. If you have binoculars, to the bottom left you’ll see the Grimaldi Basin, the Mare Humorum, and the Clavius Crater.
If you have a telescope, you’ll get to see even more, including the Reiner Gamma, Apollo 14, and Rima Ariadaeus.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon will be on Dec. 4.
What are moon phases?
Moon phases are part of a 29.5-day lunar cycle, according to NASA. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. So, sometimes it looks full, sometimes half, and sometimes not there at all. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:
The eight main moon 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.
