Both last quarter and third quarter may be confusing names for this stage at first as the moon is half-illuminated, but they actually refer to the fact that the moon has completed 3/4 of its orbit around Earth at this time. point. The crescent moon will be visible over New York City at 11:00 p.m. EDT (03:00 GMT on September 18) and will disappear from view at dawn on Sunday (September 18) around 6:19 a.m. EDT (1019 GMT). At this time, the last quarter Moon will reach an altitude of about 74 degrees above the horizon in the southeast (about seven fist-widths at arm’s length). During the lunar cycle, which takes about 29.5 days to complete, the moon appears at different stages of illumination and at different times of the day. Last quarter, the moon rises around midnight and is at its maximum height above the horizon around dawn. It gives around noon. During the last quarter stage of the lunar cycle, the moon’s illumination wanes as its phase changes from full moon to new moon. The moon is said to be waning at this time as it changes from full moon – its most illuminated state – to its least illuminated stage, called the new moon. The illuminated side of the moon shrinks because its orbit takes it away from our view here on Earth. The next stage in the moon’s cycle after the last quarter is the waning crescent. At this point, the moon will appear as little more than an arc of silvery light as it is almost back to the point in its orbit where it faces the sun directly. After that is the new moon, at which point the illuminated side of the moon is fully facing the sun and appears almost invisible from here on Earth. At this point, the moon rises and sets with the sun, meaning it’s out during the day. After this, the illuminated side of the moon grows, and the moon begins to rise later each day – during which it is described as waxing – continuing until it becomes fully illuminated again at the next full moon. The gap between the bright and dark side of the moon is called the “lunar terminator” and during the last quarter, it marks the sunset on the moon. On the other side of this, during the first quarter, the lunar terminator shows the sunrise on the moon. During both the first and last quarter above the Moon’s axis, the lunar terminator aligns with the Earth’s terminator line that separates night and day on our planet. The next lunar cycle begins with the new moon on September 25th, with the next full moon on October 9th and then the next last quarter moon rising on October 17th. Be sure to check out our guides to the best binoculars and the best telescopes to spot the last quarter moon. To take the best photos of the moon you can, check out our guide to photographing the moon, along with our recommendations for the best astrophotography cameras and the best astrophotography lenses. Editor’s note: If you take a photo of the last quarter moon and want to share it with Space.com readers, please send your photos, comments, and your name and location to [email protected] Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or enabled Facebook (opens in a new tab).
