Source: nineplanets.org
The current moon phase for July 31st, 2025 is the Waning Crescent phase.
On this day, the moon is 6.82 days old and 40.84% illuminated with a tilt of 150.946°. The approximate distance from Earth to the moon is 403,040.91 km and the moon sign is Libra.
The Moon phase for July 31st, 2025 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.
Phase Details
Phase: Waning Crescent
Moon age: 6.82 days
Moon illumination: 40.84%
Moon tilt: 150.946°
Moon angle: 0.49
Moon distance: 403,040.91 km
Moon sign: Libra
Source: MoonGiant.com
You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious, you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else was born.
The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waxing Crescent Phase. Best seen in the west after the sun dips below the horizon at sunset. This is the first Phase after the New Moon and is a great time to see the features of the moon’s surface. The moon is close to the sun in the sky and mostly dark except for the right edge of the moon which becomes brighter as the days get closer to the next phase which is a First Quarter with a 50% illumination.
Today’s Waxing Crescent Phase
The Waxing Crescent on July 31 has an illumination of 42%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On July 31 the Moon is 6.66 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.
Phase Details
Illumination: 42%
Moon Age: 6.66 days
Moon Angle: 0.49
Moon Distance: 404,783.63 km
Sun Angle: 0.53
Sun Distance: 151,835,753.08 km
The 8 Lunar Phases
There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.
Useful Moon Resources
Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com
For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society
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