We’re now at the First Quarter Moon, when roughly half of the lunar surface visible from Earth is illuminated. The Moon will continue to get more illuminated each night until we reach the Full Moon.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Friday, Sept. 18, NASA’s Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the First Quarter phase, with 45% of its surface visible.
You should be able to spot Mare Crisium, Mare Serenitatis, and Mare Fecunditatis with the naked eye. If you have binoculars, they’ll also help you see the Endymion Crater, Posidonius Crater, and the Mare Nectaris. Finally, if you have access to a telescope, you’ll see the Apollo 11 and 17 landing spots, and the Rupes Altai.
When is the next Full Moon?
The next Full Moon will take place on September 26.
What are Moon phases?
The Moon doesn’t look the same from night to night. As it travels around Earth, which takes about 29.5 days, we see different portions of its illuminated side. This is what creates the lunar phases, with the Moon gradually progressing from a thin crescent to a half Moon and then a Full Moon before the cycle starts over. According to NASA, the phase we see is determined by the Moon’s position relative to both Earth and the Sun.
The eight 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.
Source: https://mashable.com/science/moon-phase-today-sept-18-2026
