Tonight is international ‘Observe the Moon Night’ and what better way to celebrate than to take a moment and look up this evening.
You won’t see a full moon – that’s not happening until October 13 – but you can still appreciate our celestial neighbour.
The evening is a worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration and is being marked by several moon-themed events around the world.
‘This event occurs in September or October, when the moon is around first quarter – a great phase for evening observing,’ explains Nasa.
‘Furthermore, the best lunar observing is typically along the moon’s terminator (the line between night and day) where shadows are the longest, rather than at full moon.’
Even if you can’t make it to an event (listed here on Nasa’s Attend an Event page) you can still appreciate the beauty of the moon by sparing it a few glances this evening.
It’s been a pretty big year for moon-based activities. Not least the celebration of 50 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface.
Earlier this year, the Chinese space agency landed a rover on the far side of the moon – the first time it has ever been visited. They discovered a weird, ‘gel-like’ substance that is currently being probed by scientists.
And even from right here on Earth, we’ve seen some stunning pictures of the moon through various full moons and lunar eclipses that have taken place so far in 2019.
Here are a few of our favourites:
