The Moon is now entering the next stage of its cycle after reaching its Full Moon phase, gradually losing some of its illumination each night as we begin to head towards the New Moon. Keep reading to see what you can still spot on its surface tonight.What is today’s Moon phase?As of Friday, July 31, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in Waning Gibbous phase, with 97% of its surface visible. Without visual aids, tonight you should still be able to see the Mare Tranquillitatis, Copernicus Crater, and the Tycho Crater. If you have binoculars will help you see the Alphonsus Crater, Endymion Crater, and the Clavius Crater. Finally, a telescope will help you see all this plus the Apollo 11 and 17 landing spots, as well as the Rupes Altai.
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When is the next Full Moon?The next Full Moon will take place on August 28.What are Moon phases?According to NASA, the Moon goes through a complete cycle of eight phases roughly every 29.5 days. As it travels around Earth, the angle between the Sun, Earth and Moon constantly changes, meaning we see different amounts of the Moon's sunlit side. This is what causes the familiar progression from a thin crescent to a half Moon, then a Full Moon, before the cycle repeats.The eight phases are:
