Therefore, when you take half of half, you get a quarter! So, you're probably thinking, 'why is this not called the half moon?' Remember, you're only seeing half of the moon at any time because the other half is facing the sun. In this phase, the moon appears to be half-lit.
Regardless, in this phase, only a sliver of the moon is apparent.įirst Quarter: This one always gets me. Then you can tell if it's becoming more or less illuminated. For these 'in-between' phases, it helps to monitor the progression of the moon's lit surface each night. Waxing Crescent: Things get a little bit trickier when differentiating between waxing and waning. That's because, at this point, the sun illuminates the back of the moon not facing the Earth. With the new moon, it will look as if the moon is missing entirely from the sky. New Moon: The full moon and this phase are the two easiest phases to identify. When the moon is 'waxing,' it will appear more illuminated, and when it is 'waning,' less of it will illuminate night by night. The one thing that will help you is remembering the title of this blog.
Once you know what the different phases look like, it'll be easier for you to identify them in the sky.
