Where is the moon facing

This phase occurs between the full and last quarter and describes the Moon when it is more than half lit, but not fully. At the beginning of this stage in the Northern Hemisphere, we see a disk almost fully lit except for a tiny sliver on the right side that is in darkness. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same happens, only the light shrinks from left to right. This stage is sometimes also called Third Quarter. In the Northern Hemisphere, the left side is illuminated; in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the right side.

During a last quarter phase, the Moon is said to be at west quadrature, meaning that it is 90 degrees west of the Sun when viewed from Earth. This phase occurs between the last quarter and new Moon phases. Eventually, the entire disk will be in darkness, at which point it will be the new Moon phase and another lunar cycle will have begun. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same thing happens, only the lit area would have started on the right side and shrunk from left to right, until a thin crescent remained on the right.

Once the Sun rises, it is not easy to see this slim phase; the best time is before the glare of sunrise. The term " Moon's age " is not a reference to how long the Moon has existed about 4. As mentioned above, the span of time between one new Moon and the next is called a lunar cycle , lunation , lunar month , or synodic month and on average lasts for This translates to 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds. The length of a lunar cycle can vary by more than 13 hours due to a few factors.

The word "month" is derived from the word "moon. Lunar Surface, Photo by Brad Snowder. Names of the Moons American Indian tribes gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year. If you look left, the ramp slopes up. If you look right, the ramp slopes down. In front of you, the horizon looks higher on the right and lower on the left. If you turn around, the horizon appears to tilt the opposite way.

Every two weeks, we have to look in the opposite direction to see the Moon, and the ground beneath our feet is then tilted the opposite way as well. The best times to see a daytime Moon are perhaps during the first and last quarter phases, when the Moon is high enough above the horizon and at about 90 degrees from the Sun in the sky.

The crescent through quarter phases are high in the sky during the day, but the daytime gibbous phases can be glimpsed only just before the Sun sets. Spend the next month getting to know the Moon and its phases by filling out your own observation journal. Have you ever wondered when the next full moon will be? How about the first quarter moon? Put the dates and times for all the Moon's phases for the year at your fingertips by building your own Moon Phases Calendar and Calculator!

Visualization and information about today's Moon phase. Position and finder charts see also Where is The Moon? Rise and set times see also When does The Moon rise and set? Brightness see also How bright is The Moon? Physical data. Detailed information about physical properties of The Moon, such as mass and geometric properties.

Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of The Moon for the past and next 7 days. Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate The Moon in the sky from your location. What Phase is the Moon in? Today the Moon is Waxing Gibbous and its age is Phase: Waxing Gibbous Age: