The moon is currently in a Waxing Gibbous phase, meaning it’s not a full moon today. It’s more than 50% illuminated but hasn’t reached the full moon stage yet. The Waxing Gibbous phase lasts about seven days, with the moon gradually becoming brighter each day until the full moon arrives. During this phase, the moon rises in the east in the mid-afternoon and can be seen high in the eastern sky at sunset. The term “Gibbous” originated in the 14th century from the Latin word “gibbosus,” which means humpbacked.
On this particular day, the Waxing Gibbous moon has an illumination of 95%, meaning 95% of the moon’s surface is lit by the sun. The illumination changes constantly, varying up to 10% per day. The moon’s age, referring to the number of days since the last new moon, is 12.69 days. It takes approximately 29.53 days for the moon to complete its orbit around the Earth and cycle through all eight moon phases.
The moon is currently in the zodiac sign of Cancer, positioned at 22.24° within the sign. The moon’s presence in each zodiac sign lasts for approximately 2 to 2.5 days. The zodiac moon sign reflects the moon’s position as it travels through the twelve signs of the zodiac.
The eight lunar phases are: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent. The four primary moon phases are the Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter, and Last Quarter. The four minor phases occur between these major phases. The entire lunar cycle takes roughly 29.53 days to complete.
