Tonight marks day 18 of the lunar cycle, meaning the Moon is in its waning gibbous phase. More than half of its surface is still illuminated, but it’s slowly shrinking each night as it moves toward the New Moon. Keep reading to find out what this means.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Monday, Dec. 8, the moon phase is Waning Gibbous. This means 83% of the moon is lit up tonight, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

There's still more than half of the moon on display, so with just you naked eye you can see the Mare Tranquillitatis, Tycho Crater, and Copernicus Crater. If have binoculars to hand, pull these out to see the Gassendi Crater, Endymion Crater, and the Alps Mountains. And a telescope will help you see the you can catch a glimpse of the Apollo 16 landing spot, Rima Aria

See Full Page