The current moon phase for today and tonight is the First Quarter phase. The moon is now 50.1 % visible and is waxing. April 11, 2011Today the Moon is 7.4 days old.
The approximate distance from Earth to the Moon is 379,270 and 0 days left to the next phase (First Quarter).
Visit also the April 2011 Moon Phase Calendar to see all the daily moon phases for this month.
Moon Phase: First Quarter
Previous Phase: New Moon ()
Moon distance: 379,270 km
Illumination: 50.1 %
Moon age: 7.4 days
Next Phase: First Quarter ()
Moon angle: 0.53
Sun distance: 149,910,587 km
Moon Zodiac Sign: Cancer
2011-04-03 – 2011-05-03
| Moon Phase | DATE AND TIME |
DATE AND TIME (UTC) |
|---|---|---|
| New Moon | ||
| First Quarter | ||
| Full Moon | ||
| Last Quarter | ||
| New Moon |
This is the first and invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth. The New Moon is only directly visible during a solar eclipse.
First Quarter
A week after new moon comes first quarter, when the Moon is a quarter of the way around its orbit. It is also termed a Half Moon. A First Quarter Moon rises around noon and sets around midnight.
Full Moon
At 100% phase illumination, the day side of the Moon is directly pointed at the night side of the Earth and the Moon is full. A Full Moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise and it looks bigger when it is near the horizon.
Last Quarter
The Moon enters the Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) of its orbit at nearly 23 days old. Only half of it appears to be illuminated. You can see this phase at late night and in the early morning (6 am).
A "micromoon" is a term used in popular astronomy to describe a full moon or a new moon that occurs when the moon is at or near its apogee, which is the furthest point from Earth in its elliptical orbit. This is the opposite of a "supermoon," which occurs when a full moon or new moon is at or near its perigee, which is the closest point to Earth in its orbit."
More Moon FactsThis is an optical illusion. The Moon looks large shortly after it rises when it's still touching the horizon. This is not the same as a Supermoon.
More Moon FactsThe Moon crust is made of composed primarily of oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), and aluminum (Al), but important minor and trace elements such as titanium (Ti), uranium (U), thorium (Th), potassium (K), and hydrogen (H) are present as well. Below the crust is the mantle coming, with a thickness of roughly 1350 km is far more extensive than the crust, which has an average thickness of about 50 km. The mantle is made of olivine, orthopyroxene and clino pyroxene. Finally, at the center is the Moon’s dense, metallic core. The core is largely composed of iron (Fe) and some nickel (Ni). The inner core is a solid mass of about 480 km in diameter. Surrounding the solid inner core is a fluid outer core, that brings the total diameter of the core to about 660 km.
More Moon FactsA supermoon occurs when the Moon's orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time the Moon is full. At such a time, the Moon can look larger and brighter than it normally does - especially when it is seen rising above the horizon. However, it's important to note that the actual difference in size and brightness between a supermoon and an average full moon is not typically dramatic, and may not be noticeable to the naked eye without a direct comparison.
More Moon FactsThe Moon makes Earth a more livable planet by moderating our home planet's wobble on its axis, leading to a relatively stable climate.
More Moon FactsA "micromoon" is a term used in popular astronomy to describe a full moon or a new moon that occurs when the moon is at or near its apogee, which is the furthest point from Earth in its elliptical orbit. This is the opposite of a "supermoon," which occurs when a full moon or new moon is at or near its perigee, which is the closest point to Earth in its orbit."
More Moon PhasesAn analysis of moon's mineral composition suggests that the moon is around 4.425 billion years old.
More Moon PhasesNo, the moon has no water and has only a very thin and tenuous atmosphere (called an exosphere) so it cannot trap heat or insulate the surface. So, for example, there is no wind to create weather system. The Moon does, in fact, affect the Earth's climate and weather patterns in several subtle ways.
More Moon PhasesHere are the top 5 things that make the Moon so unique.
1. The Moon is Earth's only permanent natural satellite.
2. Moon dust smells like gunpowder.
3. The Moon keeps the same face pointing toward the Earth.
4. The Moon has no – or just a really thin – atmosphere so there is no weather.
5. The Moon is visible in daylight nearly every day.
The Moon is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the biggest in comparison to its host planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth. The exact diameter is 2159.14 miles (3 474.8 km ).
More Moon PhasesAn analysis of moon's mineral composition suggests that the moon is around 4.425 billion years old.
More Fun FactsThe Moon crust is made of composed primarily of oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), and aluminum (Al), but important minor and trace elements such as titanium (Ti), uranium (U), thorium (Th), potassium (K), and hydrogen (H) are present as well. Below the crust is the mantle coming, with a thickness of roughly 1350 km is far more extensive than the crust, which has an average thickness of about 50 km. The mantle is made of olivine, orthopyroxene and clino pyroxene. Finally, at the center is the Moon’s dense, metallic core. The core is largely composed of iron (Fe) and some nickel (Ni). The inner core is a solid mass of about 480 km in diameter. Surrounding the solid inner core is a fluid outer core, that brings the total diameter of the core to about 660 km.
More Fun FactsThis is an optical illusion. The Moon looks large shortly after it rises when it's still touching the horizon. This is not the same as a Supermoon.
More Fun FactsNo, it doesn’t generate its own light. “Moonlight” is really sunlight that has reflected off of the Moon’s surface. In the same way that the Sun illuminates Earth, the Moon reflects the Sun's light, making it appear bright in our sky.
More Fun FactsNo, the moon has no water and has only a very thin and tenuous atmosphere (called an exosphere) so it cannot trap heat or insulate the surface. So, for example, there is no wind to create weather system. The Moon does, in fact, affect the Earth's climate and weather patterns in several subtle ways.
More Fun Facts
MoonPhaseToday.org allows you to view the moon phase for today and tonight, or any given day, month, and year. The moon phase calculation is based on your time zone but we also show you the exact times in UTC format. Hope you find our tool useful and easy to use to find the phases of the Moon.
MoonPhaseToday.org