![]() 22 February Waxing Gibbous 75% |
![]() 23 February Waxing Gibbous 83% |
![]() Waxing Gibbous Illumination: 90% |
![]() 25 February Waxing Gibbous 96% |
![]() 26 February Waxing Gibbous 99% |
On this day the Moon was in a Waxing Gibbous phase. This phase is when the moon is more than 50% illuminated but not yet a Full Moon. The phase lasts about 7 days with the moon becoming more illuminated each day until the Full Moon. During a Waxing Gibbous the moon rises in the east in mid-afternoon and it is high in the eastern sky at sunset. The moon is then visible through most of the night sky setting a few hours before sunrise. The word Gibbous first appeared in the 14th century and has its roots in the Latin word "gibbosus" meaning “humpbacked.”
Visit the February 2021 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month
On 24 February 2021 the Waxing Gibbous phase has an illumination of 90%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On 24 February 2021 the Moon is 0.00 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.
The Moon goes through 8 lunar phases during its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.
Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at meteoam.it
For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society