Moon phase today: What the moon will look like on August 1, 2025

It's a half moon tonight, with the whole of the right side on display for us. Keep reading to find out what this means, and where we are in the lunar cycle.

The lunar cycle is a series of eight unique phases of the moon's visibility. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth.

See what's happening tonight, Aug. 1.

As of Friday, Aug. 1, the moon phase is First Quarter. This phase occurs when the moon is half lit up. NASA confirms this, according to the Daily Moon Observation, it is 50% lit up tonight.

It's day eight of the lunar cycle, and the first moon in August. What can we see tonight? With the unaided eye, enjoy a glimpse of the Mare Serenitatis, the Mare Tranquillitatis, and the Mare Crisium. If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, look to the top right. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, you'll see these on the bottom left.

With binoculars, you'll also see the Endymion Crater, the Mare Nectaris, and the Posidonius Crater, a lava-filled impact crater that's visible from the fifth to the 19th day of the lunar cycle. Add a telescope to the mix, and you'll also see the Linne Crater, Apollo 11, and Apollo 16.

The next full moon will be on August 9. The last full moon was on July 10.

According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon’s orbit, which changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side.

Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.