On the last evening of October 2026, the Moon hangs in the sky just past its fullest form, its face still bright but already beginning to recede. Mashable, drawing on NASA's Daily Moon Guide, marks it as Waning Gibbous with about two-thirds of its surface lit. It is one turn in a patient cycle of roughly twenty-nine and a half days, a rhythm people have watched for as long as there have been eyes to look up, and the next full face is expected on November 24.
Moon Phase Today, October 31, 2026: The Waning Gibbous Moon and the Next Full Moon on November 24
The Moon still looks nearly full, but it has already tipped past its peak.
Mark
So what is actually happening with the Moon tonight?
Mimi
It's Waning Gibbous. NASA's Daily Moon Guide puts 68 percent of its surface in view, and that share drops each night.
Mark
It still looks almost full to me.
Mimi
That's the nature of gibbous phases. More than half is lit, so the eye reads it as nearly full even as it fades.
Luke
Worth noting the 68 percent comes from one tracker, NASA's Daily Moon Guide. Mashable is relaying it, not measuring it.
Mark
And what can someone see tonight?
Mimi
Without any aids, Tycho, Copernicus and the Mare Imbrium. Binoculars add Alphonsus, Clavius and the Apennine Mountains. A telescope brings in the Apollo 16 landing spot, Schiller and the Rima Ariadaeus.
Luke
Those are the guide's expectations, not guarantees. Sky conditions and location aren't addressed, so whether you can see them tonight is still an open question.
Mark
When does it come back to full?
Mimi
November 24. The orbit takes roughly 29.5 days, and then the whole pattern repeats.
Luke
The piece gives the date but no time, so we don't know the exact moment of fullness.
O Pulso
- Tonight the Moon is slipping past its peak, with 68 percent of its face still lit and the light already starting to draw back.
- Anyone stepping outside can spot Tycho, Copernicus and Mare Imbrium with the naked eye, no equipment needed.
- Binoculars reach further into Alphonsus, Clavius and the Apennine Mountains, turning a quick glance into a closer study.
- A telescope brings the Apollo 16 landing site, Schiller and Rima Ariadaeus into view, pulling the night toward a checklist of discoveries.
- The Moon will thin to a crescent, vanish at New Moon and rebuild toward a full face on November 24.
On the last evening of October 2026, the Moon hangs in the sky just past its fullest form, its face still bright but already beginning to recede. Mashable, drawing on NASA's Daily Moon Guide, marks it as Waning Gibbous with about two-thirds of its surface lit. It is one turn in a patient cycle of roughly twenty-nine and a half days, a rhythm people have watched for as long as there have been eyes to look up, and the next full face is expected on November 24.
On Saturday, October 31, 2026, the Moon still looks nearly full, but it has already passed its peak. NASA's Daily Moon Guide places it in the Waning Gibbous phase, with 68 percent of its surface visible. Each night from here, a little less of the lit face remains.
The name describes what the eye sees. A gibbous Moon is more than half lit but not quite full, and waning means the light is receding. In the Northern Hemisphere, this phase loses its illumination on the right side, the reverse of the waxing months when light grows toward the full face.
For anyone who goes outside tonight, the guide offers a rough checklist by equipment. Without aids, Tycho, Copernicus and Mare Imbrium should be visible. Binoculars add Alphonsus, Clavius and the Apennines, and a telescope reveals the Apollo 16 landing spot, Schiller and Rima Ariadaeus.
The next Full Moon is due November 24. Until then the Moon will wane through a half-lit stage, thin to a crescent, disappear at New Moon and build back up. That repeating sequence follows from an orbit of about 29.5 days, in which the Moon's changing position relative to Earth and the Sun reshapes the lit side we see.
On Saturday, October 31, 2026, the Moon still looks nearly full in the night sky, but it has already tipped past its peak. NASA's Daily Moon Guide places it in the Waning Gibbous phase, with 68 percent of its surface visible. From here, the lit portion shrinks a little each night.
The phase name describes what the eye is seeing. A gibbous Moon is more than half lit but not quite full, and "waning" means the light is receding. In the Northern Hemisphere, a Waning Gibbous Moon begins losing its illumination on the right side. That is the opposite of the waxing phases, when light builds on the right and grows toward the full face.
For anyone who steps outside tonight, Mashable's guide, drawing on NASA's tracker, lists what should be visible at each level of equipment. With no aids at all, you should be able to pick out the Tycho Crater, the Copernicus Crater and the Mare Imbrium. A pair of binoculars adds the Alphonsus Crater, the Clavius Crater and the Apennine Mountains.
A telescope extends the list further. With one, observers should be able to find the Apollo 16 landing spot, the Schiller Crater and the Rima Ariadaeus. The features are spread across the lunar surface, so the list works as a rough checklist for a night of looking.
The next Full Moon is due on November 24. Between now and then, the Moon will continue to wane, pass through a half-lit stage, thin to a crescent and disappear into a New Moon before building back up.
That sequence follows from the Moon's orbit. It takes about 29.5 days to circle Earth, and as it does, its position relative to Earth and the Sun changes how much of its lit side we can see. NASA describes the result as a repeating pattern of crescents, quarter moons and the Full Moon, and once one cycle ends the next begins.
The guide lays out eight phases in all. At New Moon, the Moon sits between Earth and the Sun, so the side facing us is dark and invisible to the eye. A Waxing Crescent shows a small sliver on the right in the Northern Hemisphere. The First Quarter lights half the Moon on the right, and the Waxing Gibbous is more than half lit but not yet full. Then comes the Full Moon, with the whole face illuminated.
The second half of the cycle mirrors the first. The Waning Gibbous, where the Moon stands tonight, starts losing light on the right. The Third Quarter, also called the Last Quarter, is another half-Moon, now lit on the left. The Waning Crescent leaves a thin sliver on the left before the Moon goes dark again.
For tonight, the Moon is still bright enough to show its major features without any equipment. The next date to mark is November 24, when the cycle returns to full.
Citações Notáveis
The Moon is in the Waning Gibbous phase, with 68% of its surface visible.— NASA's Daily Moon Guide, as reported by Mashable
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