If you've looked into the night sky, you may have noticed the Moon appears to change shape each night. The Moon's appearance changes throughout the month, but the shape of the Moon isn’t changing throughout the month. The Moon does not produce its own light; without the Sun, our Moon would be completely dark. The Sun’s light comes from one direction, and it always illuminates, or lights up, one half of the Moon - the side of the Moon that is facing the Sun. On Earth, our view of the illuminated part of the Moon changes each night, depending on where the Moon is in its orbit, or path, around Earth. The Moon displays eight phases one after the other as it moves through its cycle each month. As the Moon orbits around Earth and Earth orbits around the Sun, the angle between the Sun, Moon, and Earth changes. As a result, the amount of sunlight that reflects off the Moon and travels to our eyes changes every day. We see the Moon’s disk change from all dark to all light to all dark again: This span of time is called a lunar cycle, lunation, lunar month, or synodic month. Astronomers have broken down this cycle into four primary Moon phases: New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Last Quarter. There are also four secondary phases: Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous, and Waning Crescent. One of these phases is the Waxing Gibbous moon.
The Waxing Gibbous phase is a specific stage in the lunar cycle, occurring between the First Quarter and Full Moon. During this phase, the Moon appears more than half-lit but not yet fully illuminated. The term "waxing" signifies that the illuminated portion of the Moon is increasing, growing from a half-moon towards a full moon. "Gibbous" comes from a Latin word meaning “humpbacked,” referring to the curved lit area on the Moon’s surface.
In the Northern Hemisphere, at the beginning of the Waxing Gibbous stage, we see the right half of the Moon illuminated, plus a tiny fraction more extending into the left side. As the days pass, the light creeps farther left, covering more and more of the Moon’s surface until the Full Moon phase, when the entire disk is illuminated. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same happens, only from left to right.
The Waxing Gibbous is the fourth phase in the cycle of phases. This Moon phase occurs once a month, rising around 3 pm, and setting around 3 am, sticking around for approximately 7.38 days before going into the Full Moon phase. This phase is one step in the cycle away from the Full Moon phase, where the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in a straight line.
With some exceptions, the Waxing Gibbous Moon rises after noon. It is usually visible in the evening and sets after midnight. People often see a Waxing Gibbous moon in the afternoon, shortly after moonrise, while it’s ascending in the east as the sun is descending in the west.
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The orientation of the Waxing Gibbous Moon depends on the time, the date, your location, and the Moon’s position in the sky.
As the illuminated part of the Waxing Gibbous Moon grows to 98-99%, it can be challenging to differentiate it from a Full Moon.
The Moon’s surface reflects the Sun’s rays, and half of it is always illuminated by sunlight. Just how much of that light we can see from Earth varies every day, and we refer to this as a Moon phase. The Moon displays these eight phases one after the other as it moves through its cycle each month. It takes about 27.3 days for the Moon to orbit Earth.
As the Moon orbits around Earth and Earth orbits around the Sun, the angle between the Sun, Moon, and Earth changes. As a result, the amount of sunlight that reflects off the Moon and travels to our eyes changes every day. (The Moon itself produces no light of its own.) We see the Moon’s disk change from all dark to all light to all dark again: This span of time is called a lunar cycle, lunation, lunar month, or synodic month. The length of the cycle can vary slightly, but on average, it is 29.53059 days.
Astronomers have broken down this cycle into four primary Moon phases: New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Last Quarter. There are also four secondary phases: Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous, and Waning Crescent. The primary phases occur at a specific moment, no matter where you are on Earth, which is then converted to local time. The secondary phases, however, represent a span of time rather than a specific moment.
Read also: Understanding the Waxing Gibbous Moon
Percent illumination, listed in the Moon Phase Calendar under the Moon symbol, tells us how much of the Moon’s disk is lit, as seen from Earth. Looking at the calendar on this page, you can see that from new to full, the percentage increases, indicating the waxing stages, and from full to new, the percentage decreases, indicating the waning stages. The New Moon is 0 percent illuminated (or totally dark); the First Quarter is essentially 50 percent illuminated (half of the disk is lit); the Full Moon is 100 percent illuminated (the entire disk is lit); and the Last Quarter is back to essentially 50 percent illuminated (half of the disk is lit).
Below are general guidelines as to where to look for the Moon during each of its phases. The four primary phases (in italics) rise and set at a point in time; the four secondary phases occur over a broader timespan.
| Phase | Rises Near the East | Highest in the Sky | Sets Near the West |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Moon | Around sunrise | Around noon | Around sunset |
| Waxing Crescent | Between sunrise and noon | Afternoon | Between sunset and midnight |
| First Quarter | Around noon | Around sunset | Around midnight |
| Waxing Gibbous | Between noon and sunset | Evening | Between midnight and sunrise |
| Full Moon | Around sunset | Around midnight | Around sunrise |
| Waning Gibbous | Between sunset and midnight | Early morning | Between sunrise and noon |
| Last Quarter | Around midnight | Around sunrise | Around noon |
| Waning Crescent | Between midnight and sunrise | Morning | Between noon and sunset |
The dividing line between the light and dark areas on any planet or moon is called the terminator. As the terminator moves across the face of our Moon, a delicate visual effect happens about two days after First Quarter. The Sun lights up the Montes Jura peaks (a mountain range) while, below, Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows) is still in darkness. The result is the appearance of a curved “handle” on the terminator, known as the Golden Handle or Jewelled Scimitar. The Golden Handle appears on the terminator of the Waxing Gibbous Moon.
Earthshine is sunlight that dimly illuminates the dark part of the Moon’s surface that faces us. It occurs when light travels from the Sun to Earth, reflects off the Earth, travels to the Moon, and then bounces back to Earth to reach our eyes. When this happens, we can see part of the Moon that normally isn’t lit, but this portion is much dimmer than the section directly illuminated by sunlight. For example, during a waxing crescent stage, we might see a thin crescent brightly lit by direct sunlight, but also the rest of the Moon’s disk slightly illuminated by a much dimmer glow from Earthshine.
Historically, the Waxing Gibbous moon symbolised the concept of “final steps”. It is a time of the month in which people strive to complete their projects, just as the moon “strives” to become full. As such, it represents the hardest part of the month for many people.
Read also: Preventing Red Spots Post-Waxing
From a zen perspective, the Waxing Gibbous moon is also an opportunity for people to become more mindful in what they are doing, paying that little extra bit of attention to their circumstances. It’s a time to reflect on what’s working for you right now, and what might need to change.
Some people see the Waxing Gibbous phase as “developmental”. In other words, it represents things coming to fruition. Spiritual people, therefore, use the gibbous moon as an opportunity to refine and cultivate themselves before their next stage of development. They might begin reading a book, practising a new skill, or going deeper in their meditation practices. After a period of commitment, they are then ready to enjoy the things in life that they have worked so hard to attain.
The Waxing Gibbous moon, therefore, is the phase that immediately precedes the full moon - a time of abundance, completion, fertility and transformation. It’s the run-up to everything that you hope to achieve and accomplish in your life.
You need to be careful during this phase, though. Yes, the Waxing Gibbous moon is a time for hard work and study, but don’t overdo it. Instead, follow the moon’s example and go with the flow, remaining loyal to your essential nature, even when you're working hard. Instead of trying to get to where you want to be through sheer determination, allow yourself to lean into change in your life. That way, anything you do will feel more natural and sustainable, just like the rest of nature.
While it’s true that people generally associate this phase of the moon with the urge to change direction in their lives, you don’t necessarily have to force yourself in any particular direction.
Ultimately, the Waxing Gibbous moon is an opportunity for you to work hard and get to where you want to be in your life. It’s part of the ebb and flow of nature - a time for putting in the effort before you can enjoy your creations and, ultimately, relax.
Some believe that being born on a Waxing Gibbous moon can have an influence on your character. For instance, people born around this time of the month tend to be more calming, nurturing and caring in their relationships. They also have greater ability to develop new relationships with people, no matter their life stage. Most critically, Waxing Gibbous babies grow up to be people who bring others to greater joy and fulfillment. They often become gurus, guiding people through their words and actions.
However, people born at this time of the month also need to be careful. Because they are so talented, they can often fall prey to their desire to achieve perfection. Many times, they can fail in their mentorship role because they want to create a perfect world instead of accepting it how it is. Thus, if you were born during this phase, it is critical to remember that it’s okay for people to be “good enough.” Nobody has to be the best at everything - that’s neither possible, nor desirable. Remember, even if you were born during a Waxing Gibbous moon, you still have room to grow as a person.
As the Waxing Gibbous phase is nearing, the Sun and Moon’s gravitational pull causes the bulge size of Earth’s tides to increase.
There is no symbol for the Waxing Gibbous Moon in calendars as it is an intermediate Moon phase.
For optimal auroral viewing, the Moon may not disturb because light from the Moon can be very bright which causes faint aurora to be barely visible, especially when the chances for auroral viewing are low.
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