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What is tonight's moon phase? Here's what to look for on Aug. 11
During such a busy stretch for stargazing, it can be hard to keep track of all that's happening in the solar system, including what we can see from our backyards.
There are meteor showers, different moon phases, and planetary parades where four or five bright planets are visible to the naked eye at one time.
On Monday night, Aug. 11, the moon will be in its waning gibbous phase at roughly 94% illuminated after this past weekend's full moon, according to NASA.
The waning gibbous phase occurs when the lit-up part of the moon's face shrinks from about 100% to 50%. Waning refers to the lit up portion of the moon shrinking, while gibbous refers to its oval-to-round shape, according to Time and Date.
There are eight lunar phases of the moon altogether, according to NASA.
As the Earth orbits the sun, the sun's light beams onto Earth and the moon. This light illuminates half of the earth and reflects off the surface of the moon, creating moonlight.
Depending on the position of the sun, the moon, and Earth, the moon can look fuller or like just a slice. These differences in appearance are called moon phases, and the cycle repeats about once a month.
There are also names for each of the 12 full moons, including the most recent one, the Sturgeon Moon, named after a fish dating back millions of years ago. The annual Sturgeon moon peaked early Saturday morning, Aug. 9, at 3:54 a.m. ET.
Here's a guide to the moon phases, what they look like, and what's to come over the next few months.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon will be on Sunday, Sept. 7, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. It's called the Full Corn Moon, and it will begin to rise at 2:09 p.m. ET.
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the Full Corn Moon is called such because from late summer into early fall, that's when corn is harvested in the northern U.S. It's often called the Corn Moon, the Corn Maker Moon (Western Abenaki people), and the Corn Harvest Moon (Dakota people).
What are the different moon phases and what do they mean?
According to NASA, the eight phases of the moon are:
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
