Just a quick note for moon (or lunar) phases.
From Wikipedia / Lunar Phases (moon phases).
| Phase | Northern Hemisphere | Southern Hemisphere | Visibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| New moon | Not visible, traditionally Moon’s first visible crescent | after sunset | |
| Waxing crescent moon . | Right 1-49% visible | Left 1-49% visible | afternoon and post-dusk |
| First quarter moon | Right 50% visible | Left 50% visible | afternoon and early night |
| Waxing gibbous moon | Right 51-99% visible | Left 51-99% visible | afternoon and most of night |
| Full moon | Fully visible | Fully visible | sunset to sunrise (all night) |
| Waning gibbous moon | Left 51-99% visible | Right 51-99% visible | most of night and morning |
| Last quarter moon | Left 50% visible | Right 50% visible | late night and morning |
| Waning crescent moon | Left 1-49% visible | Right 1-49% visible | pre-dawn and morning |
| Dark moon | Not visible, traditionally Moon’s last visible crescent | before sunrise | |
For the intemediate lunar phases keep in mind that:
crescent : less than half illuminated
gibbous : more than half illuminated
waxing : becoming more luminous
waning : becoming less luminous
So, by combining the terms you can figure out where the moon lies in its orbit and what the phase will be:
> after new moon, the moon becomes more luminous than before, but still less than half in total = waxing crescent
> after first quarter, the moon contimues to raise its luminosity but more than half = waxing gibbous
> after full moon, luminosity drops but still more than half is illuminated = waning gibbous
> after last quarter, luminosity drops even more (towards full moon) but now the total illuminated area is less than half = waning crescent
Moon phase calenders:
1. www.moonconnection.com – current phase moon & calendar
2. U.S. Naval Observatory – moon phase images
3. U.S. Naval Oceanography portal – phases of the moon