The New Moon has passed and, beginning Saturday, April 18, the Moon has entered a Waxing Crescent phase: about 1% of its surface will be illuminated tonight, according to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide. Each night more of the Moon’s sunlit side will come into view from Earth, so the lunar disk will appear progressively larger and brighter until the next Full Moon, predicted for May 1 — the first of two Full Moons expected in May.
Visibility is still limited: the Moon is only just starting to brighten, and with such a small illuminated fraction there’s little surface detail visible to the naked eye. Still, the returning crescent offers a reminder that the lunar cycle is underway and will produce steadily more light in the evenings over the coming days.
NASA notes the full lunar cycle takes about 29.5 days and is commonly described by eight phases. These are the New Moon (the Moon lies between Earth and the Sun, so the near side is dark), Waxing Crescent (a small sliver of light appears on the right in the Northern Hemisphere), First Quarter (the right half is lit), Waxing Gibbous (more than half illuminated but not yet full), Full Moon (the entire face visible), Waning Gibbous (the Moon begins losing light on the right), Third or Last Quarter (the left half is lit), and Waning Crescent (a thin left-side sliver before darkness returns).
For casual observers and photographers, the coming nights will offer steadily improving views as the crescent grows. For precise, day‑by‑day illumination percentages and timings, NASA’s Daily Moon Guide provides up‑to‑date details.
Original Source: https://in.mashable.com/space/108627/moon-phase-today-what-the-moon-will-look-like-on-april-18
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Publish Date: 2026-04-18 09:30:00
