The Moon goes through a complete cycle from dark New Moon to bright Full Moon and back again every 29.5 days. Knowing tonight's moon phase tells you whether the night sky will be pitch-dark for stargazing and meteor showers, or brightly lit for an evening walk or night fishing.
1. What Do "Waxing," "Waning," "Crescent," and "Gibbous" Mean?
Moon phase names sound technical at first, but they simply describe two things—whether the Moon is growing or shrinking, and how much of it is lit up:
• Waxing (Growing Brighter): From New Moon to Full Moon, the lit portion grows larger every night. In the Northern Hemisphere, a waxing moon is always lit on the right side.
• Waning (Shrinking Darker): After the Full Moon, the lit portion gets smaller each night as it heads back toward New Moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, a waning moon is lit on the left side.
• Crescent: Less than half of the face is lit (looks like a banana or fingernail clipping).
• Quarter Moon (Half Moon): Exactly half of the face you see is lit up. It is called "First Quarter" or "Last Quarter" because the Moon is one-quarter or three-quarters of the way through its monthly cycle.
• Gibbous: More than half of the Moon is lit, but it is not quite a complete circle yet.
| Moon Phase | How Much Is Lit | Approx. Moonrise | Approx. Moonset | Best Time to See It |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Moon | 0% (Not visible) | Sunrise (~6 AM) | Sunset (~6 PM) | Sky is completely dark all night—best for stargazing! |
| Waxing Crescent | 1% – 49% (Right sliver) | Mid-Morning (~9 AM) | Early Night (~9 PM) | Look low in the western sky right after sunset |
| First Quarter | 50% (Right half) | Noon (~12 PM) | Midnight (~12 AM) | High in the southern sky at sunset and all evening |
| Waxing Gibbous | 51% – 99% | Afternoon (~3 PM) | Pre-Dawn (~3 AM) | Bright in the eastern sky before sunset and most of the night |
| Full Moon | 100% (Full circle) | Sunset (~6 PM) | Sunrise (~6 AM) | Rises in the east at sunset; shines all night long |
| Waning Gibbous | 99% – 51% | Late Evening (~9 PM) | Morning (~9 AM) | Late night through early morning (often seen in the morning sky!) |
| Last Quarter | 50% (Left half) | Midnight (~12 AM) | Noon (~12 PM) | Early risers see it high in the sky at dawn and morning |
| Waning Crescent | 49% – 1% (Left sliver) | Pre-Dawn (~3 AM) | Afternoon (~3 PM) | Low in the eastern sky just before sunrise |
2. Why Do You Sometimes See the Moon in the Daytime?
Many people think the Moon only comes out at night, but the Moon actually spends just as much time above the horizon during the day as it does at night! Because the Moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, only the Full Moon stays up solely from sunset to sunrise. During a First Quarter moon, you can easily spot it in the blue afternoon sky; during a Last Quarter or Waning Gibbous moon, it is clearly visible in the morning sky after sunrise.
| Month | Full Moon Name | Why It Was Named That |
|---|---|---|
| January | Wolf Moon | Wolves howling outside villages in midwinter |
| February | Snow Moon | Traditionally the snowiest month in North America |
| March | Worm Moon | The ground softens and earthworms and robins reappear |
| April | Pink Moon | Named after early-blooming pink wild ground phlox flowers |
| May | Flower Moon | Spring wildflowers blooming across fields and forests |
| June | Strawberry Moon | Peak season for picking ripe wild strawberries |
| July | Buck Moon | Male deer (bucks) grow their new velvet antlers in mid-summer |
| August | Sturgeon Moon | Late-summer season when giant sturgeon fish were easily caught in the Great Lakes |
| September | Harvest Moon / Corn Moon | Bright early-evening moonlight helped farmers finish harvesting autumn crops |
| October | Hunter's Moon | Bright moonlight over bare autumn fields after the harvest |
| November | Beaver Moon | Time when beavers finish building winter lodges before water freezes |
| December | Cold Moon | Arrival of long, cold winter nights near the solstice |