Is it possible to view the moon in first quarter

Waxing means it is getting bigger. Waning means it is getting smaller. It is the opposite half as illuminated in the first quarter moon. The Moon displays these eight phases one after the other as it moves through its cycle each month. It takes 27 days for the Moon to orbit Earth. That means the Moon's cycle is 27 days long. Use this tool to see the current Moon phase and to plan ahead for other Moon views.

Credit: NASA. The Short Answer:. This is the opposite of a Third Quarter Moon , which rises in the middle of the night and sets in the middle of the day.

You'll need a pair of binoculars, or the zoom function on your camera. In western culture, we divide the lunar month into four primary and four intermediate Moon phases. First Quarter Moon is the second primary Moon phase when the Moon has reached the first quarter of its orbit around Earth, hence the name. The primary Moon phases occur at a specific moment in time, and the intermediate Moon phases are the time between the primary phases.

Moon phases are the same all over the world. The same percentage and area of the Moon are illuminated no matter where on Earth you are. However, the Moon is rotated in different ways depending on the time, the date, your location, and the Moon's position in the sky.

The terminator can also be defined as that variable line between the illuminated portion and the part of the Moon in shadow. Along with the fact that a half Moon offers more viewing comfort to the eye as opposed to a full Moon, using a telescope with just small optical power magnifications of 20 to 40x , or even with good binoculars, we can then see a wealth of detail on its surface.

Around those times when the Moon is half-lit or gibbous phase, those features lying close to the terminator stand out in sharp, clear relief.

The Moon arrives at first quarter phase on Friday, Jan. That will be the moment when its disk is exactly 50 percent illuminated. Lunar mountains will be visible as the Sun lights them from the right.

How does it brightness compare now with Full? This is due to the fact that, a half Moon is heavily shadowed, even on its illuminated half.

And believe or not, it isn't until just 2.