Moon Phase Today: What the Moon Will Look Like On December 12?

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?

Below are the basic phases of the moon, simply defined:

1. New Moon

The Moon is positioned between Earth and the Sun, with the dark side of the Moon facing us. This phase of the Moon cannot be seen at night.

2. Waxing Crescent

A small arc of brightening moonlight starts to emerge from its dark New Moon phase. The term "waxing" refers to the increase of illuminated area of the Moon.

3. First Quarter Moon

50% or half of the Moon is illuminated on the right side (in the Northern Hemisphere) and this shape will be in a perfect half-circle.

4. Waxing Gibbous

The Moon is now brightly lit up and will continue to increase in brightness until it gets to full moon position.

5. Full Moon

The Moon is now completely illuminated and will rise at sunset and will shine all night long.

6. Waning Gibbous

The illuminated portion of the Moon is beginning to decrease in size (waxing) after reaching full moon position. More than 50% of the Moon is illuminated but getting smaller.

7. Last Quarter Moon

The Moon is half illuminated again. This time left side is illuminated (in Northern Hemisphere).

8. Waning Crescent

There is a very small amount of light emitted from the Moon before going back to the original position of the moon (New).

All of the moon phases will repeat in a 29.5-day cycle, which creates what is called the "lunar cycle," which occurs each month.

What is today’s moon phase?

The Moon will be at its waning crescent phase on 12 December 2025, which indicates that the Moon's illuminated area will be shrinking each day until the New Moon occurs and the new lunar cycle begins. The Moon appears as a very thin crescent or arc of light that will appear to be faintly illuminated in the early morning hours and become increasingly less illuminated as it approaches its next "reset".

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.