Looking up at the night sky tonight (November 13, 2025), you’ll see a crescent moon hanging low – the last visible sliver of light before it disappears completely during the New Moon phase. This stage, known as Waning Crescent, leaves about 37% of the lunar surface illuminated, according to NASA’s daily observations.
Even without binoculars or a telescope, you can spot prominent features like the Aristarchus Plateau and the Kepler and Copernicus Craters. For those with binoculars, the view sharpens further – revealing the Grimaldi Basin, Mare Humorum (a dark volcanic plain), and the Clavius Crater. Telescope users will unlock an even richer panorama, allowing them to witness fainter formations such as the Reiner Gamma (an intriguing bright streak), Schiller Crater, and the Fra Mauro Highlands.
While tonight’s moon might appear fleeting, its cycle continues. Just a few weeks away, on December 4th, we’ll experience the next full moon. But what exactly drives these shifts in appearance?
Understanding Moon Phases: A Lunar Dance
The moon doesn’t emit its own light; instead, it reflects sunlight. As the moon orbits Earth, our perspective constantly changes, revealing different portions of this sunlit surface. This interplay between sunlight and shadow creates the eight distinct phases we observe over a 29.5-day period known as the lunar cycle.
Here’s a quick guide to these cyclical transformations:
- New Moon: Invisible from Earth because it lies directly between the Sun and our planet, casting its dark side towards us.
- Waxing Crescent: A sliver of light appears on the right (Northern Hemisphere) as the moon begins its journey around Earth.
- First Quarter: Half the lunar surface is illuminated, resembling a half-circle.
- Waxing Gibbous: More than half is lit, growing towards fullness but not quite there yet.
- Full Moon: The entire face of the moon gleams brightly, fully illuminated by the sun.
- Waning Gibbous: The illumination begins to wane from the right side, gradually shrinking back towards a full circle.
- Third Quarter (Last Quarter): Another half-moon phase, but now the left side is illuminated.
- Waning Crescent: A thin crescent persists on the left before disappearing into darkness again, marking the end of one cycle and the start of another.
Each night, the moon’s position shifts subtly in its dance across the sky, offering a mesmerizing spectacle for those who take a moment to observe it
