The Full Moon may have passed, but the Moon is still shining brightly in the night sky. Here’s what you can spot on its surface as it begins to move into its next phase/
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Thursday, July 30, NASA’s Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in Waning Gibbous phase, with 100% of its surface visible.
Without visual aids, tonight you should still be able to see the Mare Tranquillitatis, Copernicus Crater, and the Tycho Crater. If you have binoculars will help you see the Gassendi Crater, Mare Frigoris, and the Clavius Crater. Finally, a telescope will help you see all this plus the Apollo 15 and 17 landing spots, as well as the Caucasus Mountains.
When is the next Full Moon?
The next Full Moon will take place on August 28.
What are Moon phases?
According to NASA, the Moon goes through a complete cycle of eight phases roughly every 29.5 days. As it travels around Earth, the angle between the Sun, Earth and Moon constantly changes, meaning we see different amounts of the Moon’s sunlit side. This is what causes the familiar progression from a thin crescent to a half Moon, then a Full Moon, before the cycle repeats.
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-july-30-2026
