How to Observe the Moon: 1. Look up - The simplest way to observe the Moon is simply to look up. The Moon is the brightest object in our night sky, the second brightest in our daytime sky, and can be seen from all around the world. With the naked eye, you can see dark gray seas of cooled lava called mare. 2. Peer through a telescope or binoculars - With some magnification help, you will be able to identify details on the Moon. The line between night and day on the Moon (called the terminator) is ideal for seeing lunar craters and mountains since very long shadows heighten the contrast of the features. 3. Photograph the Moon - Our Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has taken more than 20 million images of the Moon, mapping it in stunning detail. You can take your own photos from Earth, too! 4. Make and admire Moon art – People have been making moon inspired art for millennia. You can enjoy artwork of the Moon and create anything from drawings, painting, poetry, songs, and more. 5. Continue your observations throughout the year - International Observe the Moon Night is the perfect time to start a Moon journal. See how the shape of the Moon seems to change over the course of a month, and keep track of where and what time it rises and sets.
Where is the Moon Tonight?
On September 26th, the Moon will rise in the early evening around 5:00PM in the Southeast; however mountains, trees, buildings and other material may get in the way until about 6 PM. The moon will reach its highest position in the sky, due south, around 9:30 PM. Near middle of the night the moon will finally set at 1:30 AM in the Southwest.
What Phase is the Moon Tonight?
The moon will be a waxing Gibbous on September 26th. That means it will be growing in illumination, filled right to left as seen from the northern hemisphere, and more than half but not completely full. The moon will be about 74% full.
Why Does the Moon Have Phases? As the moon orbits the Earth, we see its day/night cycle creating the phases of the moon. As the moon waxes, or grows, the face we see from Earth becomes illuminated by the Sun from New to Crescent, to Half, to Gibbous, to Full. After becoming Full, the moon wanes, and the amount of sunlight reaching the face of the moon we see from earth decrease and it becomes gibbous, then half, then crescent, and back to new. It takes about 29 earth days for the moon to have just one day! The 29-day cycle of the moon is known as the “MOONth” and where we get the word ‘month’ from! Activity: The Moon's phases in Oreos (adapted from https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/oreo-moon/en/)
Why does the Moon look different throughout the month? The Moon has "phases." That means it looks a little different to us each night during its one-month orbit of our planet. We describe how the Moon looks with terms such as "Full Moon," "First Quarter," and "New Moon" (which we can't really see, because the side that is lit faces away from us). The Moon has no light of its own. Moonlight is sunlight bouncing off the Moon's surface. As the Moon orbits Earth, the Sun lights up whatever side of the Moon is facing it. To the Sun, it's always a full Moon! If you were looking down upon Earth and its Moon from way out in space over the North Pole, you would see a Moon that looked like the figure on the left. But we see the Moon from the center of its orbit. So we see different portions of the lit side of the Moon, as shown by the figure on the bottom of the page!
Modeling the Moon Phases Using the placemat below as guide, open up some Oreo cookies and scrape off the creme filling to make the four major phases of the Moon (shown on the right). These Oreo "Moons" show how the Moon looks from Earth during these phases. What phase of
the moon do we see tonight?
For additional links to moon resources, visit WyomingSpaceGrant.org/ScienceKitchen/ObserveTheMoon Join the conversation on social media using #ObserveTheMoon. Tag @WYSpaceGrant and @UWyoPlanetarium for a chance to win a moon prize!