The Waxing Moon: A Guide To Lunar Phases (2025)

The Moon's appearance changes throughout the month, but its shape does not. The Moon does not produce its own light, so the Sun illuminates only one half of it. The Moon's phases refer to how much of the illuminated part we can see from Earth. A waxing moon is when the Moon is progressing from a new moon to a full moon, so it is getting bigger. During this time, we see a growing portion of its illuminated half. The first visible phase of the waxing moon is the thin sliver of a Waxing Crescent Moon.

The waxing moon is when the moon is progressing from a new moon to a full moon

The different phases of the moon are caused by the position of the moon in relation to the Earth and the Sun. The moon does not produce its own light; instead, the sun illuminates the side of the moon that is facing it. As the moon orbits the Earth, the amount of light reflected from the moon's surface varies, resulting in the various phases.

The first phase after the new moon is the waxing crescent moon, which appears as a thin crescent of light on the right in the Northern Hemisphere. This is followed by the first quarter moon, where half of the moon's visible surface is illuminated. As the cycle progresses, the illuminated portion continues to grow, resulting in the waxing gibbous moon. Finally, approximately 14 to 15 days into the cycle, we observe the full moon, where the entire face of the moon is illuminated.

The waxing phase is often described as the moon "getting bigger" or "increasing" in size. This terminology originates from the Old English terms "weaxen" and "wanian", which mean to grow or increase and to decrease or diminish, respectively.

The moon waxes and wanes from right to left

The Moon's appearance changes throughout the month, but its shape does not. Instead, the way we see the Moon changes as it orbits the Earth. The Moon does not produce its own light, so the Sun's light illuminates only one half of the Moon—the side facing the Sun. The other side is in darkness. As the Moon orbits the Earth, we see different angles of the Moon's illuminated surface. This is what we refer to as the Moon's phases.

To help you remember, think of the letters "D", "O", and "C". The Moon's illumination pattern follows this sequence: the waxing moon is like a "D", the full moon is like an "O", and the waning moon is like a "C". Alternatively, hold out your right hand with your thumb out and your palm facing the sky. The thumb and forefinger make a curve like a backward "C". If the Moon fits in this curve, it is a waxing moon. If you do the same with your left hand and the Moon fits in the "C" curve, then it is waning.

A waxing moon is when the Moon is progressing from a new moon to a full moon, so it is "getting bigger". A waning moon is when the Moon goes from a full moon to a new moon, so it is "getting smaller". The Moon takes around 29.5 days to move through its eight phases.

The waxing crescent moon is when the moon is growing from a new moon

The moon takes 27.3 days to orbit the Earth, but the full lunar cycle takes 29.5 days to complete. This is because it takes the moon this long to return to its position between the sun and Earth. Throughout the cycle, the moon will be waxing each day, or increasing the amount of its surface that is lit up at night, and waning, or decreasing in size until it disappears. The moon's surface reflects the sun's rays, and half of it is always illuminated by sunlight. However, how much of that light we can see from Earth varies every day, and we refer to this variation as a moon phase.

The orientation of the waxing crescent moon depends on the time, date, location, and the moon's position in the sky. The curve dividing the illuminated and dark parts of the moon is called the terminator. The terminator of a waxing crescent moon can be on the right side, the left, the top, or the bottom. The waxing crescent moon is sometimes also faintly visible due to Earth reflecting sunlight as a faint glow onto the moon. This phenomenon is called earthshine or the Da Vinci glow.

The illuminated part of the moon continues to grow into a waxing gibbous moon

The Moon's appearance changes throughout the month, but its shape does not. The Moon does not produce its own light; instead, the Sun's light illuminates the side of the Moon that is facing it, while the other side remains dark. The Moon reflects the Sun's rays, and half of it is always illuminated by sunlight. However, the amount of light we can see from Earth varies daily, and we refer to these variations as the Moon's phases.

The Moon's phases start with the invisible New Moon, and the first visible phase is the thin sliver of the Waxing Crescent Moon. The Moon then progresses from the New Moon to the Full Moon, and "waxing" refers to this process of getting bigger. During the waxing phase, we see a growing portion of the Moon's illuminated half. The illuminated part of the Moon continues to grow into a Waxing Gibbous Moon, which is between a half moon and a full moon.

The Waxing Gibbous Moon is one of the four intermediate Moon phases, and it occurs when the Moon is more than half-illuminated but not yet fully illuminated. The exact orientation of the Waxing Crescent Moon depends on the time, date, location, and the Moon's position in the sky. The curve dividing the illuminated and dark parts of the Moon is called the terminator, and it can appear on the right side, left side, top, or bottom of the Moon.

The Moon takes 27.3 days to orbit the Earth, but the full lunar cycle takes 29.5 days to complete. Throughout the cycle, the Moon will be waxing each day, or increasing the amount of its illuminated portion that we can see from Earth.

The waxing moon is visible from Earth and the amount of light visible increases each day

The Moon's appearance changes throughout the month, but its shape does not. Instead, the change in appearance is due to the position of the Moon in relation to the Earth and the Sun. The Moon does not produce its own light, and so we only see the Moon because it reflects the Sun's rays. However, the amount of the Moon that is illuminated by the Sun varies, and this is what we refer to as a Moon phase.

The Moon's cycle begins with a New Moon, which is invisible from Earth. The first visible phase is the Waxing Crescent Moon, which appears as a thin crescent of light on the right in the Northern Hemisphere. The amount of light visible from Earth then increases each day. Around a week later, half of the Moon's visible surface is illuminated, which is known as the First Quarter Moon. The illuminated part continues to grow into a Waxing Gibbous Moon, until 14 to 15 days into the cycle when we see a full Moon.

The Waxing Crescent Moon's orientation depends on the time, date, location, and the Moon's position in the sky. The curve dividing the illuminated and dark parts of the Moon is called the terminator. The terminator of a Waxing Crescent Moon can be on the right side, the left, the top, or the bottom.

Frequently asked questions