When the gibbous moon hits your eye like a big glowing orb ... you know you're in the Andes Mountains. This full moon was recently captured by Petr Horálek of NOIRLab in the Atacama Desert in Chile, where important astronomical observatories like the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) reside.

What is it?

A gibbous moon, like the one captured here, refers to a phase in which the moon is more than half illuminated but not yet full, or just after full, when it's starting to wane. This phase is important because it represents one of the moon's brightest periods, offering extended natural light at night.

For astronomers and stargazers, the gibbous phase provides excellent visibility for spotting lunar craters and highlands, while for ancient pe

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