Waxing Crescent | EarthSky

A slender waxing crescent moon against a dark sky.

What is a waxing crescent moon?

A waxing crescent moon shines in the west after sunset, first visible a day or two after new moon with earthshine. It sets after the sun after sunset.

A closeup of an orange-colored, sideways-looking waning crescent moon.

What is a waning crescent moon?

You'll find a waning crescent moon in the east before sunrise. It's waning toward new moon, when the moon will be between the Earth and the sun.

A waxing gibbous moon against a dark sky.

What is a waxing gibbous moon?

A waxing gibbous moon is in the sky before it's dark and lights up the early evening. It's more than half lighted, but not quite full. It sets after midnight.

Hyades on left, Pleiades on right, with moon passing between.

Crescent moon by star clusters, April 4 and 5 evenings

You can spot the crescent moon in Taurus between the Pleiades star cluster and the Hyades star cluster, home to the red star Aldebaran.

Crescent moon, crescent Venus

As Venus nears its passage between the Earth and sun on January 8-9, it appears in our sky as a very thin crescent. Photos and insights here.

Crescent moon in Gemini on May 9

Tonight - May 9, 2019 - let the waxing crescent moon introduce you to the constellation Gemini the Twins, the constellation that'll host the solar eclipse of July 2, 2019.

Moon is waning, but Venus is waxing!

Venus is near the waning moon early this week. Yet if you followed Venus with a telescope in the coming weeks, you'd find it's a waxing, not a waning, crescent.

Waxing toward the super Blue Moon

The moon is getting closer to Earth, day by day, this week. A word about measuring the moon's changing distance from Earth, here.

The low autumn evening crescent

Or high spring crescent, if you're in the South Hemisphere!

Venus as a crescent world

Photos from the EarthSky community of the planet Venus - next planet inward from Earth in orbit around the sun - in early 2017, in a crescent phase.

Crescent moon and Ramadan

Starting at sunset on June 5 and 6, Muslims around the world will be looking for the young crescent moon to return to the evening sky.

Crescent moon

Tuesday's crescent moon sets behind a small cabin. Photo by Göran Strand.

Last night’s crescent moon

Waxing crescent moon over France on March 4, by Jean-Baptiste Feldmann.

Young crescent moon and old crescent Venus on January 2

The planet Venus is about to pass between the Earth and sun. It will soon disappear from our sky. But many saw it last night near the moon.

Crescent moon with earthshine

The young moon is back after sunset, passing near Venus in the next few evenings. The pale glow on the darkened portion of the moon is called "earthshine."

Waxing crescent moon, near yellow circle showing Beehive Cluster with 3 white dots for Venus, Castor and Pollux, and red dot for Mars.

Moon near Venus, Mars, Castor, Pollux, Beehive on May 24

Watch for the waxing crescent moon near Venus, Castor, Pollux, Mars, and the Beehive star cluster on the evening of May 24, 2023. Beautiful!

2 positions of the crescent moon on each side of Jupiter along green ecliptic line.

Moon near Jupiter January 25 and 26

No matter where you are on the Earth, look for the waxing crescent moon near Jupiter on the evenings of January 25 and 26, 2023. They are in Pisces.

Slanted green ecliptic line with 2 positions of moon near Saturn well above horizon.

Moon near Saturn December 25 and 26

Look for a slender waxing crescent moon near Saturn on the evenings of December 25 and 26, 2022. Saturn is in the dim constellation Capricornus the Sea Goat.

Green line of ecliptic with thin crescent moon near an outlined teapot shape.

Moon near Teapot – toward Milky Way center – tonight

On the evenings of November 25 and 26, 2022, you can see the very young waxing crescent moon near the Teapot of Sagittarius.

Chart: Twilight sky with the three positions of moon on succeeding days, a star and a planet.

Observer’s challenge: Moon points to Mercury August 1, 2 and 3

A night sky challenge for the Northern Hemisphere: The waxing crescent moon points to Mercury on August 1, 2 and 3, 2022.

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What is a waxing crescent moon?

What is a waning crescent moon?

What is a waxing gibbous moon?

Crescent moon by star clusters, April 4 and 5 evenings

Crescent moon, crescent Venus

Crescent moon in Gemini on May 9

Moon is waning, but Venus is waxing!

Waxing toward the super Blue Moon

The low autumn evening crescent

Venus as a crescent world

Crescent moon and Ramadan

Crescent moon

Last night’s crescent moon

Young crescent moon and old crescent Venus on January 2

Crescent moon with earthshine

Moon near Venus, Mars, Castor, Pollux, Beehive on May 24

Moon near Jupiter January 25 and 26

Moon near Saturn December 25 and 26

Moon near Teapot – toward Milky Way center – tonight

Observer’s challenge: Moon points to Mercury August 1, 2 and 3