Moon Alemdag, Erzurum, Turkey

Lunar phases are the visual changes in the illuminated part of the Moon. We call them "visual" because the Moon doesn't actually change. It's the way we see it from the Earth that changes. The Moon's illumination shifts as it orbits the Earth, with the Sun lighting up different sides of the satellite over time. Because of this, the way we see the Moon constantly changes.

Lunar phases are determined by the Moon's position as it orbits the Earth. The relative alignment of the Moon, Earth, and Sun constantly changes, which means sunlight hits different parts of the Moon. This shifts the lunar terminator that divides the bright side from the dark side. This is what makes the shape of the Moon appear different.

14.8 days after the new moon, the Moon is directly opposite the Sun. This is called a full moon. The Sun illuminates the Moon completely, and we can see the fully illuminated lunar disk from the Earth. It’s the opposite of the new moon and is the brightest phase in the lunar cycle.

Today in Alemdag, the Moon is in its Last quarter phase. The Moon is 50.3% illuminated. Today the Moon will rise at 1:38 am. The Moon will set at 10:24 am.