Moon Phase for Today

Information about the current phase of the moon, and upcoming phases for today.

The current moon phase for today is the Waning Crescent phase.

On this day, the moon is 22.38 days old and 40.99% illuminated with a tilt of -33.982°. The approximate distance from Earth to the moon is 387,541.76 km and the moon sign is Taurus.

The Moon phase for today is a Waning Crescent phase. This is the phase where the moon is less than 50% illuminated but has not yet reached 0% illumination (which would be a New Moon).

In this part of the moon cycle, it is getting closer and closer to the Sun as viewed from Earth and the night side of the Moon is facing earth with a decreasingly thin crescent being illuminated.

The waning (shrinking) crescement Moon will rise at around midnight, transit the meridian after sunrise, before setting after noon. This phase is best viewed 1-2 hours before sunrise and is a great time to see the features of the Moon’s surface. Along the illuminated crescent you can see the craters and mountains of the moon casting long shadows.

The Waxing Gibbous phase, like all moon phases, will last for just over 7 days. The actual length will vary because of the elliptical shaped orbit of the moon. During this Waxing Gibbous phase the moon will rise in the east in the mid- to late-afternoon and will be high in the eastern sky at sunset.

Assuming it’s a clear night, the Waxing Gibbous moon will then be visible through most of the night before setting just before sunrise.

Fun fact: the illuminated side of a waning crescent moon is always pointed eastwards, towards the sunrise.

Moon Phase Details – Aug 9th, 2023

Phase: Waning Crescent

Moon age: 22.38 days

Moon illumination: 40.99%

Moon tilt: -33.982°

Moon angle: 0.51

Moon distance: 387,541.76 km

Moon sign: Taurus

The Waning Crescent Moon phase is an intermediate phase, and it’s the last of the lunar month. It comes before the New Moon and right after the Third Quarter.

https://nineplanets.org/moon/phase/today/