Tonight's Moon phase
The Moon is the biggest night-to-night variable for stargazing: a bright, high Moon washes out all but the brightest stars, while the darkest skies come around the new Moon. This page shows tonight's phase and illumination and explains how to plan deep-sky observing and meteor watching around the lunar cycle.
Right now
Waxing Crescent
3% illuminated · waxing
Enable JavaScript for tonight's live phase and the days to the next new and full Moon.
Why the Moon rules stargazing
The Moon is the brightest thing in the night sky, and when it's up and more than about half lit it floods the sky with enough light to erase the Milky Way and all but the brightest deep-sky objects — even from a Bortle 2 site. That's why serious observers plan around the lunar cycle, not just the weather.
- New Moon (0% lit): the darkest skies of the month. The week either side is prime time for galaxies, nebulae, and meteor showers.
- First / last quarter (50% lit): a bright Moon for part of the night. Observe after it sets, or before it rises.
- Full Moon (100% lit): up all night and dazzling — wonderful for lunar and planetary viewing, poor for anything faint.
Pair this with a dark site — find your town's rating and the nearest darker skies — and a clear forecast, and you have the three ingredients for a good night: dark ground, dark Moon, clear air.