Tonight, August 17, 2025, the moon phase is a Waning Crescent. The moon is about 33% illuminated and is 23.75 days old in its lunar cycle. This phase happens as the moon moves closer to the new moon phase, and it is best viewed just before sunrise in the western sky. The illuminated portion of the moon is decreasing each day during this phase. The waning crescent phase also provides good opportunities to see features of the moon's surface with telescopes or binoculars because the craters and mountains cast long shadows along the edge where the illuminated portion meets the dark side. So tonight, you will see a crescent-shaped moon with less than half its face illuminated, shrinking as it approaches the new moon phase.
