Understanding waning crescent moon
Posted: May 28, 2011 Filed under: Astronomy Leave a comment »I am not a morning person. Consequently, I do not see this moon phase very often. That’s a shame, because it’s one of the loveliest phases. The folks at EarthSky.org must be morning people.
The moon, as always, is rising in the east day after day. But most people won’t see this moon phase unless they get up early. When the sun comes up, and the sky grows brighter, the waning crescent moon fades. Now the moon is so near the Earth/sun line that the sun’s glare is drowning this slim moon from view.
Still, the waning crescent is up there, nearly all day long, moving ahead of the sun across the sky’s dome. It sets in the west several hours or less before sunset.
