Waxing Crescent

Next occurrence (UTC):

Typical illumination: 25%

The waxing crescent is the thin, growing sliver of light that appears after new moon. Illumination rises from a few percent toward first quarter as more of the sunlit face becomes visible.

How it looks

In the Northern Hemisphere the lit edge is on the right. The crescent is best seen in the western sky shortly after sunset — a delicate arc that thickens night by night.

When it is visible

The waxing crescent is an evening moon: it follows the Sun, rising late morning to early afternoon and setting after dusk. Peak visibility is in the hours after sunset.

Geometry

Phase longitude is between about 6° and 67°. The Moon is east of the Sun in the sky, so we see a growing portion of the daylit hemisphere.

All moon phases