why is the moon red tonight 2025

The moon appears red tonight, August 29, 2025, if it looks red, it is likely not due to a lunar eclipse because there is no eclipse tonight. The moon is in its Waxing Crescent phase, and only about 32-34% of it is illuminated, which generally does not cause a red appearance by itself. The common reason for a red moon appearance is during a total lunar eclipse, known as a "Blood Moon," when the Earth is between the sun and the moon. During that event, sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, which scatters shorter blue wavelengths and allows longer red wavelengths to reach the moon surface, making it look red. However, there is no lunar eclipse tonight, so the red color could be caused by atmospheric conditions on Earth, like dust, smoke, or pollution scattering the light differently, especially near the horizon when the moon is low in the sky. On August 29, 2025, the visible moon is a Waxing Crescent and there are no solar or lunar eclipses happening, so if the moon looks red, it is likely due to Earth's atmospheric effects rather than an eclipse.