•New Moon ·Full Moon

•Waxing Crescent · Waning Gibbous

•First Quarter · 3rd Quarter

•Waxing Gibbous · Waning Crescent

The new moon is the phase of the moon when the moon is not visible from Earth, because the side of the moon that is facing us is not being lit by the sun.

A waxing crescent moon-sometimescalled a "young moon"—is always seen in the west after sunset. At this moon phase, the Earth, moon and sun are located nearly on a line in space. If they were more pre

First quarter moon comes a week after new moon. The moon in its orbit around Earth is at right angles to a line between the Earth and sun. A first quarter moon is called "first quarter" because it is one quarter of the way around in its orbit of Earth, as measured from one new moon to the next. Also, although some people call this a "half moon," and although it really does appear half-lit to us, it's good to recall that the illuminated portion of a first quarter moon truly is just a quarter. On the night of first quarter moon, we see half the moon's day side, or a true quarter of the moon.

The waxing gibbous Moon is very nearly full and illuminated generally from the right. This phase of the Moon is seen to rise sometime in the afternoon when few people are looking at the sky. This is why it usually goes unnoticed until it gets dark at sunset. By that time the gibbous Moon is well above the southeastern horizon. The Moon is in this phase for nearly a week between first quarter and full. Just a day or so before Full Moon the waxing gibbous Moon appears nearly full and might be mistaken for a full Moon. The Moon in this phase sets just shortly before sunrise.

The full moon is the phase of the moon that occurs when the Moon lies on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. The moon as seen from the surface of the earth is fully illuminated by the sun at this time, presenting a "full" round disc to viewers on earth. As always, only half the total surface of the moon is illuminated.

The waning gibbous Moon is just past full and illuminated generally from the left. This phase of the Moon is seen to rise a little while after sunset. The gibbous Moon rides across the sky for most of the night and is still above the western horizon at sunrise. The Moon is in this phase for nearly a week between full and third quarter. For a few days or so after Full Moon the waning gibbous Moon appears nearly full and might be mistaken for a full Moon. The Moon in this phase sets just shortly after sunrise and is generally seen by casual observers early in the morning.

The Third Quarter Moon is missed by most casual observers. You will not see the Moon in this phase anytime before midnight. In this phase, the Moon rises at midnight and sets at noon. Once the Sun does rise, the half illuminated Moon should be rather easily spotted in the southern part of the daytime sky for observers in the northern hemisphere. Unfortunately, most people do not think to look for the Moon in the morning sky, or do not look on the correct day of the month.

    The waning crescent Moon is a thin sliver of a thing which is seen to rise just a few hours before sunrise. You will not see the Moon in this phase anytime before midnight. In this phase, the Moon leads the Sun across the sky by a little bit all through the day. Once the Sun does rise, it is just about impossible to see such a faint thing as the waning crescent Moon in a daylit sky.