Third Quarter Moon

The Third Quarter Moon is another name for the Last Quarter Moon — the two terms describe the same phase and are used interchangeably. It appears about seven days after Full Moon and roughly seven days before the next New Moon, three-quarters of the way through the ~29.5-day cycle, when the Moon looks exactly half-illuminated. In the Northern Hemisphere the lit half is on the left (right in the Southern Hemisphere) — the mirror image of the First Quarter. Sitting at a 90-degree angle to the Sun on the far side of the cycle, it rises around midnight and sets around midday, so it is best seen in the pre-dawn hours — the half-Moon most people miss because they are asleep when it is highest. The name "third quarter" refers to its place three-quarters of the way through the cycle, not to the Moon’s shape. From here illumination keeps fading through the waning crescent until the Moon disappears at the next New Moon. MOONX shows exactly where today sits in the cycle and counts down to your next New Moon.