The Moon has always intrigued people throughout time for its beauty in the night sky as well as for its consistency of predictable changes (moon phases). This is due to the Moon travelling around Earth in an orbit that causes the amount of illuminated side visible from Earth to change. The Moon starts as a New Moon, where there is no trace of it, then gradually grows into a Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, and Full Moon.
Then the Moon will begin to wane through the Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent phases before coming back to its New Moon phase. The moon phases affect many areas of life and understanding their significance can help in astronomy, navigation, agriculture and in some places they may affect the cultural/religious calendars and festival observances.
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What are the different moon phases?
The eight main phases of the moon during the moon's 29.5-day cycle are as follows:
The moon revolves around the earth; thus, when the light from the sun hits, we see some of the illuminated half. Therefore, we refer to the phases of the moon.
1. The new moon is when the moon is positioned between the earth and the sun. The elumination (lighting) is hidden from the view of the Earth.
2. Waxing crescent - An illuminated sliver on the right of the moon is now present.
3. First Quarter - The moon looks like a full half circle illuminated on the right half of the moon
4. Waxing gibbous - The moon is more than a half-circle illuminated and close to a full circle, lit on both sides.
5. Full Moon - The entire face of the moon is illuminated and bright.
6. Waning gibbous - The lighting begins to lessen after full illumination.
7. Last quarter (third) is half-lit and illuminated on the left side.
8. Waning crescent - Only a small sliver of light remains; then the new moon reappears.
The full moon will repeat the above eight phases every month to give us the monthly routine.
What is today’s moon phase?
On December 11, 2025, the Moon will be reaching the end of its Last Quarter Phase. At that point only half of the Moon's surface will be illuminated, but the amount of light will be decreasing from full illumination as the Moon approaches the New Moon phase. As a result, the Moon will rise shortly after midnight, and set at approximately noon.
When is the next full moon?
Following the Cold Moon of December, the next Full Moon, known as the Wolf Moon, will rise on January 3, 2026, marking the first Full Moon of a new year as well as the beginning of a new lunar cycle after December's Cold Moon.
Conclusion
Each year has a unique cycle of the Moon's phases, which adds to the beauty of the night sky through its own distinct rhythm. December might contain a supermoon, or it may completely lack one. However, regardless of a particular year's December phase and supermoon cycle, the Moon will continue to travel gracefully through the sky each evening, regardless of what happens within the December cycle.
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