The Full Moon has passed, and the Moon will still look almost completely lit tonight. It’s now beginning to wane, although you probably won’t notice much difference from the night before. Here’s what you can spot on the lunar surface tonight.
Today’s Moon Phase
The agency is officially shifting its focus on the Moon, with Monday, Sept. 28 marking the moment when NASA’s Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the Waning Gibbous phase, with 97% of its surface visible. That means the Moon is still nearly full, even though it begins to move beyond the Full Moon phase.
If you’re looking for something to point out to friends who think the Moon is full, tonight’s the night to do it. The difference is barely visible to the naked eye, but the Moon’s position in its monthly cycle has shifted.
What You Can See Tonight
The night sky is full of sights, and three large lunar seas are among the easiest to make out with the naked eye. Mare Imbrium, Mare Serenitatis, and Mare Tranquillitatis are all visible without any equipment whatsoever, standing out clearly on the Moon’s face. They don’t need a telescope or binoculars to be distinguished.
If you have binoculars handy, they’ll help you see the Clavius Crater, the Alphonsus Crater, and the Gassendi Crater. These craters sit on the Moon’s surface and are easier to pick out with some magnification.
A telescope opens up a whole new level of detail. You can see the Apollo 12 and 16 landing sites through it, alongside the Rima Caucasus Mountains. This is a rare opportunity to catch sight of the very places where people first touched down on the Moon.
The Phases Explained
As the Moon moves around Earth, it passes through a sequence that repeats about every 29.5 days. This journey causes the portion of its surface lit by the Sun to shift, producing the distinct phases we see.
The process begins with a thin crescent, swells into a half Moon, and finally arrives at the Full Moon before starting over. What phase appears to us depends on where the Moon sits relative to Earth and the Sun.
The eight phases break down like this:
- New Moon — The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
- Waxing Crescent — A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
- First Quarter — Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
- Waxing Gibbous — More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
- Full Moon — The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
- Waning Gibbous — The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
- Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) — Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
- Waning Crescent — A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
The current moon phase is a waning gibbous, which falls near the end of the lunar cycle.
The Next Full Moon
The waning Moon will reach its lowest point and begin a new cycle on October 25 or 26, depending where you are in the world. The next Full Moon follows after that.
You won’t get another chance until next month, because the October Full Moon comes along within roughly a month from now. So if you miss it tonight’s nearly-full Moon, you’ll be waiting a while.
What This Means for Amateur Observers
Amateur observers find the Waning Gibbous an especially rewarding time to watch the Moon, since the large amount of surface still illuminated keeps many features visible that would otherwise vanish during the thinner crescent phases.
Without any equipment, the lunar seas stand out as the most obvious features on the Moon’s face. They are large enough to be readily visible, and their pattern becomes clear even from a brief look.
More detail becomes visible with binoculars. The craters referenced are actual landmarks on the Moon, and binoculars are sufficient to reveal them as distinct features rather than mere dark spots.
Through a scope, the distance between Earth and the Moon becomes something a person can actually observe. The Apollo landing sites themselves are within sight, and the Rima Caucasus Mountains give the scene added depth. Anyone with a modest telescope has the opportunity to study the Moon as more than a simple bright disk in the sky tonight.
The Writer Behind the Report
Mashable’s Lois Mackenzie works as a freelance reporter there. Across her career, she has covered topics ranging from local news to the best pair of running shoes, contributing to several publications. Fit&Well, Metro, and Coach magazine all carry her bylines, where she writes about deals on items such as earbuds and TVs, or offers guidance on how to improve your half marathon performance.
Mackenzie earned a Master of Arts in English Literature at the University of Aberdeen and later went on to complete a Master’s degree in Digital Journalism at Strathclyde University. This combination of literary study and digital journalism has given her a wide-ranging approach to her work, whether she is writing about a new smartphone deal or a guide to running faster.
The Bottom Line
Tonight’s Moon is nearly full, even though it’s technically waning. That’s the delight of this particular phase — the Moon looks almost completely lit, but its position in the cycle has already shifted.
Tonight’s best guidance is straightforward: glance upward. The lunar seas are readily seen by eye alone, while the craters and mountains require binoculars or a telescope to make out. This offers a quiet reminder that the Moon is continually shifting.
| Date | Moon Phase |
|---|---|
| Sept. 28 | Waning Gibbous (97%) |
| Oct. 25/26 | Full Moon |
The nearly-full Moon in tonight’s sky rewards anyone willing to pause and look upward. Its form remains mostly full, and its features remain visible for observers to enjoy.
Source material: “Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on September 28, 2026,” Mashable.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.