July’s last quarter moon will set by midday on Sunday (July 9), so plan accordingly to see it late tonight.
The moon can be in its half-lit third-quarter phase when it rises from the eastern horizon shortly after midnight overnight tonight before setting to the west around 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) on Sunday (July 9), in keeping with In-The-Sky.org. During this phase, which gets its name from the proven fact that it falls three-quarters of the best way through the moon’s 29.5-day lunar cycle, the moon can be illuminated on its western, sunward side.
One of the best time to view the third-quarter moon can be across the time it’s at its highest within the sky, between around 5 a.m. and seven a.m. ET (0900 and 1100 GMT). While many features of the lunar landscape might be viewed throughout the daytime, make certain to take precautions to not point any optics within the direction of the sun in the event you attempt a daytime commentary of the moon, which could cause vision damage.
Related: Night sky, July 2023: What you’ll be able to see tonight [maps]
The third-quarter moon is positioned within the sky ahead of Earth when it comes to its yearly trip across the sun. Earth follows behind the moon by about 3.5 hours.
Following the third-quarter moon, skywatchers can look ahead to increasingly less illumination coming from our natural satellite going into July’s recent moon, which occurs on July 17. The dark skies in the times following the third-quarter moon and approaching the brand new moon make for a superb opportunity to search for deep-sky targets reminiscent of the relatively newfound comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS).
After the third-quarter moon has set early this afternoon, C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) can be positioned within the northern skies just under the handle of the “Little Dipper,” the Ursa Minor constellation.
If you happen to are hoping to catch an up-close take a look at the moon at any point throughout its 29.5-day lunar cycle, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are an important place to begin.
And if you wish to take photos of the moon or the night sky usually, take a look at our guides on photograph the moon or the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.