The Moon phase for December 25th, 2024 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.

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.

The Moon phase for December 24th, 2024 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.

The Moon phase for December 23rd, 2024 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.

The Moon phase for December 22nd, 2024 is the Last Quarter phase, which is also sometimes known as the Third Quarter. In this phase, the moon has completed three quarters of it’s orbit around the earth and exactly half of the moon is illuminated and half is in darkness.

The Last Quarter phase comes roughly 3 weeks after the New Moon and this is when the moon has completed three quarters of its orbit around the Earth (hence the name, Last Quarter). The moon will rise around midnight on the eastern horizon, transits the meridian at sunrise, before setting at noon in the west.

The Last Quarter of the moon phase cycle happens on one day. It’s followed by the intermediate phase, Waning Crescent, and will become less illuminated every day until it reaches the New Moon phase.

Fun fact: if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the left side of the moon will be illuminated during the Last Quarter. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, the right side is illuminated.

The Moon phase for December 21st, 2024 is a Waning Gibbous phase. This is the first phase after the Full Moon where the illumination of the moon decreases each day until it reaches 50% (the Last Quarter phase).

The waning (shrinking) gibbous Moon will rise after sunset in the east, transit the meridian after midnight, before setting after sunrise in the west.

During this phase, the illumination of the moon will go down from 99.% to 50.1%. Technically, the phase starts as soon as the Full Moon has passed, but it can be difficult to calculate and differentiate the first stage of a Waning Gibbous Moon from a Full Moon when 98-99% of the Moon’s surface is illuminated.

Fun fact: the word Gibbous was first used in the 14th century and comes from the latin word gibbosus which means humpbacked.

The Moon phase for December 20th, 2024 is a Waning Gibbous phase. This is the first phase after the Full Moon where the illumination of the moon decreases each day until it reaches 50% (the Last Quarter phase).

The waning (shrinking) gibbous Moon will rise after sunset in the east, transit the meridian after midnight, before setting after sunrise in the west.

During this phase, the illumination of the moon will go down from 99.% to 50.1%. Technically, the phase starts as soon as the Full Moon has passed, but it can be difficult to calculate and differentiate the first stage of a Waning Gibbous Moon from a Full Moon when 98-99% of the Moon’s surface is illuminated.

Fun fact: the word Gibbous was first used in the 14th century and comes from the latin word gibbosus which means humpbacked.

The Moon phase for December 19th, 2024 is a Waning Gibbous phase. This is the first phase after the Full Moon where the illumination of the moon decreases each day until it reaches 50% (the Last Quarter phase).

The waning (shrinking) gibbous Moon will rise after sunset in the east, transit the meridian after midnight, before setting after sunrise in the west.

During this phase, the illumination of the moon will go down from 99.% to 50.1%. Technically, the phase starts as soon as the Full Moon has passed, but it can be difficult to calculate and differentiate the first stage of a Waning Gibbous Moon from a Full Moon when 98-99% of the Moon’s surface is illuminated.

Fun fact: the word Gibbous was first used in the 14th century and comes from the latin word gibbosus which means humpbacked.

The Moon phase for December 17th, 2024 is a Waning Gibbous phase. This is the first phase after the Full Moon where the illumination of the moon decreases each day until it reaches 50% (the Last Quarter phase).

The waning (shrinking) gibbous Moon will rise after sunset in the east, transit the meridian after midnight, before setting after sunrise in the west.

During this phase, the illumination of the moon will go down from 99.% to 50.1%. Technically, the phase starts as soon as the Full Moon has passed, but it can be difficult to calculate and differentiate the first stage of a Waning Gibbous Moon from a Full Moon when 98-99% of the Moon’s surface is illuminated.

Fun fact: the word Gibbous was first used in the 14th century and comes from the latin word gibbosus which means humpbacked.

The Moon phase for December 15th, 2024 is the Full Moon phase. In this phase, the moon is 100% illuminated when seen from Earth (hence the name Full Moon).

The Full Moon happens when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. The sunlight fully illuminated the moon, and this is what we call being “full”. The moon will be visible throughout the night sky as it rises at sunset in the east, transits the meridian at midnight, before setting at sunrise in the west.

The specific point at which the Full Moon occurs can be measured down to a fraction of a second. The time that passes between full moons is called the Synodic month and is 29.530587981 days long.

Fun fact: lunar eclipses can only happen within a few days of the Full Moon, but they don’t happen for every Full Moon because the moon’s orbit has a 5.1° tilt around the Earth compared to Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Only when the intersection of these two orbits is pointing towards the centre of the Moon do we get a lunar eclipse.

The Moon phase for December 14th, 2024 is a Waxing Gibbous phase. This is the phase where the moon is more than 50% illuminated but has not yet reached 100% illumination (which would be a Full Moon).

In the Northern Hemisphere, the right side will be illuminated, and in the Southern hemisphere it’ll be the left side that is illuminated.

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 word Gibbous was first used in the 14th century and comes from the latin word gibbosus which means humpbacked.

The Moon phase for December 9th, 2024 is a Waxing Gibbous phase. This is the phase where the moon is more than 50% illuminated but has not yet reached 100% illumination (which would be a Full Moon).

In the Northern Hemisphere, the right side will be illuminated, and in the Southern hemisphere it’ll be the left side that is illuminated.

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 word Gibbous was first used in the 14th century and comes from the latin word gibbosus which means humpbacked.

The Moon phase for December 8th, 2024 is the First Quarter phase. In this phase, exactly half of the moon is illuminated and half is in darkness.

The First Quarter phase comes roughly 7 days after the New Moon and this is when the moon has completed one quarter of its orbit around the Earth (hence the name, First Quarter). The moon will be high overhead at sunset in this phase and will be visible until mid-night, when it sets in the west.

The First Quarter of the moon phase cycle happens on one day. It’s followed by the intermediate phase, Waxing Gibbous, and will become more illuminated every day until it reaches the Full Moon phase.

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: if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the right side of the moon will be illuminated during the First Quarter. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, the left side is illuminated.

The Moon phase for December 7th, 2024 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.