The Moon reaches its last quarter phase this week: that’s what to expect

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The Lunar Disc Shadow will grow on May 20. From the point of view of the earth. | Credit: Chris Vaughan/Starry Night

Earth’s Moon reaches the last quarter later this week! Read on to find out when and where to catch the short -term phase of the moon, and what else to find at night on May 20th.

The last quarter of the lunar or the final stage of the quarter will take place at 07:59. EDT (1159 GMT) May 20 in Sky.org;

The best time to catch The moon to Night sky With nearly half of its surface lighting, it will remain before dawn on May 20, just before it reaches the final stage of the quarter. The next night from our perspective will be illuminated by only 39% of the lunar disk The landand a shadow terminator (a line separating the illuminated and unlit moon disk) continued to creep over the lunar surface until the shadow is consumed Young moon phase May 26

May 20 The lunar disk will be damaged by the terminator when the left side is lit by the sun and the right is pierced into the shadows by inserting a few large craters.

One of them, Tycho Crater, will currently reach a great target for the telescope, as the 53 -mile (85 km) distinctive central impact peak cast strong shadows through the inside of depression. It is quite easy to spot as the largest crater in the moon’s solid highlands, near the bottom of the moon disk.

The full image of the moon, annotated Tycho Crater, south of the lunar disk.

Tycho crater can be found in the southern highlands and has a peculiar spike. | Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

The 57 miles wide (93 km) Copernicus crater will also be easily visible at night around 20 May. Meanwhile, the widths of the darker Oceanus Procellarum (Storm Ocean) and the surrounding lunar Mary (which are Latin seas) will be dominated by the northwest of the lunar flood lock, According to NASA;

See. Lunar Crater Copernicus near the Moon Terminator 2020 August 27
The location of Copernicus crater is emphasized in this shot in the crushing phase of the lunar wax. | Credit: Silafari program

These relatively undeniable rhythms of the lunar terrain were created billions of years ago, when the lava mass flooded the impact pools created through intense bombing of asteroids, comets and other smaller bodies of the solar system. The lava flows eventually cool down to form a giant basalt plain that is now visible to the naked eye from the surface of our planet.

The Earth Moon will be accompanied by the southeast sky the stars From the left -colored water constellation and the Capricorn on the right, when it slides above the horizon 1:55. EDT (0555 GMT) May 20 In the morning, Skywatchers in New York. Be sure to review a reliable site like Timeanddate.com To find out the exact time of Moonrise in its place.

Top Telescope Set:

Celesron - Nexstar 4se Telescope

Celesron – Nexstar 4se Telescope

Want to explore the Tycho Crater and the South Moon Highlands? The Celesron Nexstar 4SE is ideal for beginners who want quality, reliable and quick to celestial objects. To take a closer look at our Celesron Nexstar 4se review.

Bright stars Altaras and Vega will be visible flicker over the moon while the planets Saturn and Venus An hour before the sunrise, it will become a visible climbing to the eastern sky to the left of the moon.

Stargazers, hoping to investigate the lunar surface slightly additional enlargement should read our guides on the The best binoculars and Telescope suggestions Available in 2025.

Photographers expect to look at The solar system Play would also be good to check our Roundup of the Best cameras and Lenses for astrophotography; Want to take a picture from the lunar surface? View our guide How to take a picture of the moon;

Editor’s Note: If you capture a photo of the third quarter of the moon and you would like to share it with Space.com readers, send your photo (s), comments and your name and location at [email protected].

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