A waxing gibbous moon appears high in the east at sunset. It’s more than half-lighted, but less than full.
This moon phase comes between one and two weeks after new moon.
Photo Credit: Felipe Miguel
The moon has moved in its orbit so that it’s now relatively far from the sun in our sky. A waxing gibbous moon rises during the hours between noon and sunset. It sets in the wee hours after midnight.
People sometimes see a waxing gibbous moon in the afternoon, shortly after moonrise, while it’s ascending in the east as the sun is descending in the west. It’s easy to see a waxing gibbous moon in the daytime because, at this phase of the moon, a large fraction of the moon’s day side is facing our way. Thus a waxing gibbous moon is more noticeable in the sky than a crescent moon, with only a slim fraction of the lunar day side visible. Also, a waxing gibbous moon is far from the sun on the sky’s dome, so the sun’s glare isn’t hiding it from view.
Any moon that appears more than half lighted but less than full is called a gibbous moon. The word gibbous comes from a root word that means hump-backed. You can see the hump-backed shape of the waxing gibbous moon.
As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. Follow these links to understand the various phases of the moon.
Photo by our Facebook friend Lois Miller. (See Mars too!) Nice Lois!
Understanding Moon Phases
Waxing Crescent
First Quarter
Waxing Gibbous
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous
Last Quarter
Waning Crescent
New Moon
What happened to the daily “sky” report on the earthsky website? If it isn’t available there any longer, do you know where I might find similar daily information?
Thanks.
Chuck,
To view today’s EarthSky Tonight program, click on the orange “Tonight” button at the top right of the EarthSky website page. We look forward to your daily visits!
Bruce McClure
EarthSky Tonight columnist
Hi Chuck, it’s still there. From the homepage (http://earthsky.org/), see the orange Tonight button on the main menu bar – on the far right, above the Featured Scientist box?
Or go directly to the Tonight page: http://earthsky.org/tonighthome
Thanks for visiting!
Deborah
Hi can someone tell me where to find photos from last nights moon 3/24/10? thanks
Gina, many people post their moon photos on our Facebook page. Look here: http://www.facebook.com/EarthSky
triple s
Thanks for waxing/waning explanation. Question: At the beginning of this past week I observed the setting moon at what appeared to me to be the most Northerly point on the Western horizon I’ve observed so far. Yet, within a week, Luna seems to be setting maybe 20 degrees more Southerly. I can’t remember what this North-South oscillation of the Moon’s orbit is called, but I seem to remember it’s caused by the tilt of her orbit relative to our equator; is this correct? Is this rapid change caused by the fact that the inclination of Moon’s orbit is at it’s maximum vaslue now?
Hi, I was just wondering in which phase is it that the moon crosses the meridian one hour before sunrise. I took an astronomy course before but I just can’t seem to remember.
I like your well written information about waxing gibbous moon phase. In the future I also will post my moon photos which I regular take with my Nikon camera on your facebook page.
great and interesting stuff here
tnx…8 hlp me lot………..
to precious:
learn how to spell mate!
(i’m not aussie, i’m indo)
-end transmission
live long and proper~ yeah.
cool
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another name for this moon is a vavainus waxis, it comes after the wexing half moon and sets over the ocean here in Monterrey around 3 in the morning