View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Meiying Lee in Taipei, Taiwan, captured the images to create this moon composite across a single evening, July 18, 2021. It shows how the angle of the moon – and the color of both the moon itself and the background sky – change from when you might first spy it in late afternoon, until after midnight, when it sets. Meiying told us: “This photo is a combination of different azimuths in the sky of a waxing gibbous moon in the same night. You can observe the changes of the moon’s disk in the sky and the color of the moon in different sky.” Thank you, Meiying!
Waxing gibbous: more than half-lit, less than full
You’ll see a waxing gibbous moon between a first quarter moon and full moon. The word gibbous comes from a root word that means hump-backed.
People often see a waxing gibbous moon in the afternoon, shortly after moonrise, while it’s ascending in the east as the sun is descending in the west. Take a look at Meiying Lee’s illustration above to see the change in the angle and color of the waxing gibbous moon, as it’s visible from afternoon until after midnight. The moon at this phase is easy to see in the daytime because, at waxing gibbous moon, a respectably large fraction of the moon’s dayside faces our way.
Views of the waxing gibbous moon
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mario Rano of Hampton, Virginia, captured the waxing gibbous moon on January 20, 2023, and said: “A break in the clouds allowed me to get this daytime image of the moon using an infrared filter.” Thank you, Mario!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Cathy Adams in St. Stephen, Canada, took this image of the waxing gibbous moon on January 1, 2023. Cathy wrote: “First moon of 2023. Had to shoot between the clouds, but there were a few tiny windows.” Thank you, Cathy!
Read about the moon’s phases
As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. Follow these links to understand the various phases of the moon.
View larger. | Our friend Stephanie Becker in the Bay Area of California offered this September 17, 2021, shot of a waxing gibbous moon. Stephanie wrote that the moon was “in approaching fog last night, creating some beautiful colors.” We agree: it’s lovely. Thank you, Stephanie!View larger at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sharon Caton Brunson captured the waxing gibbous moon at Steptoe Butte, Washington, during the very early twilight of September 27, 2020. A gibbous moon is any moon that appears more than half lighted but less than full. Sharon wrote: “I made it just in time for golden hour as the sun sank and, to my delight, moon rose.” Thank you, Sharon!
More articles about moon phases
As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. Follow the links below to understand the phases of the moon.
Bottom line: A waxing gibbous moon is in the sky when darkness falls. It lights up the early evening. It appears more than half lighted, but less than full. A waxing gibbous moon comes between first quarter moon and full moon.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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