Earth's Moon: Formation, Composition and Orbit

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Latest about moon phases

a transparent ram is angled head-down on the right, with the transparent limbs of an unidentifiable beast splashing out of a layer of transparent water on the left half. Stars within the transparencies are connected with blue lines to indicate constellation shapes. A bright yelllow/white star in the center is neighbored to the immediate upper right by the black circle of a new moon, and bisected diagonally from the upper left.

New moon of May 2024 tonight welcomes the stars of summer

By Jesse Emspak published

The new moon of May 2024 will see the bright constellations of summer begin to rise just as those of winter sink below the horizon.

The moon
a bright full moon in the night sky

May full moon 2024: The Flower Moon crosses the Scorpion's Heart

By Jesse Emspak last updated

Reference The Full Flower Moon of May 2024 will see the moon pass in front of the red star Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius, the Scorpion.

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a bright full moon in the sky

April full moon 2024: The Pink Moon joins Mars and Saturn in the night sky

By Jesse Emspak last updated

The full moon of April 2024, called the Pink Moon, will occur during the evening hours of April 23. Later that night, Mars and Saturn will rise in the predawn hours.

Stargazing
photo of a solar eclipse, showing the moon's dark outline blocking out the sun

New moon phase on April 8 will bring on the 2024 total solar eclipse

By Jesse Emspak published

This month's new moon, which occurs on April 8, is a special one: It will cause a total solar eclipse, the last such event to grace the contiguous United States for two decades.

Stargazing
a bright moon rises above the ruins of a castle

March full moon 2024: The Worm Moon gets eclipsed

By Jesse Emspak last updated

Reference The full moon of March 2024, the Worm Moon, will experience a penumbral lunar eclipse as it passes through the outer part of Earth's shadow.

Reference
a bright full moon above a snowy mountain range

February full moon 2024: The Snow Moon rises as a 'minimoon' on Feb. 24

By Jesse Emspak last updated

The Full Snow Moon of February 2024, will occur on Feb. 24, about a day before reaching apogee, the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, creating the opposite of a supermoon: a "minimoon."

Stargazing
You can't see a black moon but this image shows a very slim crescent of a slightly illuminated moon visible in the days following a black moon.

Black Moon: What is it and why does it occur?

By Joe Rao last updated

Reference A Black Moon is a rare occurrence. Here we explore what causes them and when the next one will happen.

Reference
person standing looking at the blood moon above

What is a blood moon?

By Elizabeth Howell, Scott Dutfield last updated

Reference It may look spooky, but a blood moon is just a trick of the light. Here we explain this phenomenon and tell you how and where to see the next one.

Reference
the full moon shines bright in a dark night sky

January full moon 2024: The 'Wolf Moon' howls at the Gemini twins

By Jesse Emspak last updated

The January full moon is often called the Wolf Moon, a name which may date back to when wolves would howl outside villages.

Stargazing
a half-shaded moon hangs large in the sky.

See the last half moon of 2023 swim with the fish of Pisces tonight

By Brett Tingley published

The moon reaches its first quarter moon phase on Dec. 19, crossing the sky in the Pisces constellation as the last half-moon of 2023.

Stargazing
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