Phases of the Moon in the Synodic Month

New Moon

• A new moon occurs when the sun and moon are aligned on the same side of the sky. This phase is characterized by the lack of illumination of the moon's visible side. This phase is only visible after sunset. The new moon phase is both the initiating and terminating phase of the synodic month.

First and Last Quarter

• The first and last quarter moon phases are names for the same phenomenon at different times of the month. These phases indicate that the moon is halfway between new moon and full moon and are easily recognizable as exactly half of the moon is visible at these times. The phases are called "quarter" to indicate the the degree of the moon's cycle around Earth. First quarter means the moon is one-quarter through the synodic month and last quarter means it is three-quarters through.

Waxing and Waning Gibbous

• The waxing and waning gibbous phases indicate transitional phases of the moon between quarter moon and full moon. During the waxing phase, between 51 percent and 99 percent of the moon is illuminated and seen to expand. The waning phases are the same phenomenon but in reverse; the illuminated portion of the moon is seen to shrink towards half-moon. The waxing gibbous moon is visible beginning in the afternoon and remains so for most of the night. The waning gibbous moon is visible most of the night and early morning.

Waxing and Waning Crescent

• The waxing and waning crescent phases are similar to gibbous phases but differ in the portion of the moon that is illuminated by the sun. The waxing crescent phase sees the illuminated portion growing from between 1 and 49 percent. While the waning crescent phases sees the illuminated portion shrinking from 49 to 1 percent. The waxing crescent moon is visible in the afternoon until soon after dusk. The waning crescent moon becomes visible before dawn and remains throughout the morning.

Full Moon

• The full moon phase is similar to the new moon phases except the moon is located in the opposite side of the sky. The Earth,moon and sun are in alignment with the Earth in the middle for the full moon phase. The full moon phase is indicated by 100 percent illumination of the moon by sunlight and is the halfway point of the synodic month. The moon is visible from sunset to sunrise during this phase.