Moon Observations (Examples) by Melissa Bunte

TEMPLATE:

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Your Name: _____ (if it doesn't show in the post tag)
Observing from City: _______
Date and time: (include am or pm)
The Moon is (high/low/mid-high) in the (N/S/E/W)
Phase: _____(put in post title- Is it waxing or waning? Crescent, Quarter, Gibbous, Full, or New?)
Illumination: _____

EXAMPLE: OPEN ME!

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Melissa Bunte
Mesa, AZ
Feb. 25; 5:20pm
High (altitude 80) in the South
Waxing Crescent
40% illuminated

Example Drawing

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

There are several tools you can use to draw phases. Ask me!

Example: Missing Information

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Drawing is a great way to show what you observed.

This post is missing information about the Moon's position in the sky that would help us to validate the observation.

DO NOT SIMULATE - See note below

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Name: Student A
City: Phoenix, AZ
Date @ Time: 04/01/2023 @ 9:56pm
Moon Altitude: 67.79 deg
Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 85.4%

This is not a direct observation, even though it uses an "overlay" of a map on top of the view through a camera. It is considered a simulation because we cannot tell what was actually visible in the sky vs what was included on the map. Our goal is to observe in real-time, so simulations do not earn full credit.

DO NOT SIMULATE - see note below

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

By: Student B

This is not a direct observation, even though it uses a map "overlay" to match where you point the camera in the sky. It is a simulation because we cannot tell what was actually visible in the sky vs what was included on the map. Our goal is to observe in real-time, so simulations do not earn full credit.

This post is also missing any information about the time and Moon's position that would help us confirm the observation and data.

Be Careful with Illumination

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Student C
Mesa, AZ
April 12, 2023
Low (-51) in the south
Waning gibbous
60% illumination

A drawing and info like this is fine, BUT: notice how the "lit up" note points to what is drawn as darkness? That's confusing! Shade in what you cannot see and leave the illuminated part white.

SIMULATION - TIME NOT POSSIBLE TO OBSERVE

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Moon is not visible and is under the west horizon at this time. Because this is not a possible time to observe the Moon, no credit is earned.

DO NOT SIMULATE - See Note Below

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

The moon is out during the day when the Sun is also out -- it happens (often)!

This is observable by eye, so it should not be simulated. This is using the software Stellarium and has the added feature of turning "off" the atmosphere so that the daylight is not visible!

Illumination: 47.8%
Altitude:13 degrees
Heading: 225 degrees SW

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
March 22, 7:39pm
Moon is low in the West (setting, altitude 5 degrees)
Illumination 2%

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
March 24, 8:05pm
Moon is low in the West (altitude 24 degrees; azimuth 276degrees)
Illumination 14%

Venus at altitude 17 (You can't tell it, but Venus is Gibbous phase)

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
March 25, 9:15pm
Moon is low in the West (altitude 22 degrees; azimuth 282degrees)
Illumination 22%

1st Quarter

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
March 29, 12:27am
Moon is low in the West (setting, altitude 18 degrees, azimuth 291 degrees)
Illumination 51%

Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
March 30, 7:47pm
Moon is High in the South/SE (altitude 79 degrees, which is not quite the zenith; azimuth 138 degrees)
Illumination 69%

Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
March 31, 3:09pm
Moon is low in the East/NE (rising, altitude 14 degrees; azimuth 73 degrees)
Illumination 77%

Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
April 2, 8:24pm
Moon is high in the SE (altitude 54 degrees; azimuth 118)
Illumination 91%

Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
April 3, 6:36pm
Moon is low in the East (altitude 21 degrees; azimuth 95)
Illumination 96%

Full

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
April 5, 6:48pm
Moon is low in the East (rising, altitude 2 degrees; azimuth 95)

See how this one looks higher than the mountaintop but is still only altitude 2degrees? The definition of horizon is interesting!

Illumination 100%

Waning Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
April 11, 8:29am
Moon is low in the South West (altitude 11 degrees; azimuth 224)
Illumination 70%

Third Quarter

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Student D
Mesa, Arizona
4/12/2023 11:49 pm
Low in the east
Third Quarter
51.1% Illumination

When is it okay to simulate? New Moon!

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

The moon and sun were near each other so I wasn't able to see it in person.
April 19, 2:55pm
Illumination: 0.2%
Altitude:45 degrees
Heading:246 degrees WSW

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Mesa Arizona
04-21-2023 07:43pm
Clear skies, Moon high in the west
Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 3.4%

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
April 23, 7:32pm
Moon is mid-high in the West (altitude 40 degrees; azimuth 278)
Illumination 16%

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
April 25, 1:41pm
Moon is mid-high in the East/NE (altitude 43 degrees; azimuth 82)
Illumination 32%

Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Mesa Az
04-28-2023 3:59pm
Clear skies
40deg above horizon in the E
Illumination: 62%

Overexposure okay as long as shape is noticeable! -- Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Dr. B
Maricopa, AZ
April 29, 7:17pm
Moon is high in the SouthEast (altitude 65 degrees; azimuth 135)
Illumination 71%

Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

May 1st 2023 @ 6:50PM
Illumination: 90%
Moon was mid-high in SE (altitude 41)
Viewed in Mesa, AZ

Clouds okay as long as shape is visible! -- Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Student E
Chandler, Arizona
May 3, 10:14pm
Moon is high in the skySE
Illumination: 94%

Try to avoid Overexposure - Full Moon

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Student D
Mesa Arizona
05-05-2023 8:33pm
Clear skies, Moon is just rising in SE
Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 99.8%

Missing Important Info

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Saturday 6-3-23 at 9:09pm clear sky’s, south, high above the horizon

Altitude of 17degrees would be low, not mid-high

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Observing from: Scottsdale, AZ
Date/Time: Tuesday, June 6, 2023 / 5:29 AM
The moon is Mid-High in the SW
Illumination: 95%

Position estimate and illumination are a bit off

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Mesa, AZ
June 8, 2023 - 1:20 a.m. - clear skies
Relatively low - I would say around 30-40 degrees up - facing south
About 70% is illuminated

Messy, but decent

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Actually 1 day after 3rd Quarter -- check % and phase name

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

San Tan Valley, AZ
June 11; 6:51 AM
High in the Southern Sky
Third Quarter
50% Illumination

Information missing -- be sure to include everything, even if some is obvious from the image (low altitude in this example)

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

June 12 @ 1:57am Buckeye,AZ

Digital Drawing

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

June 12, 2023 - 12:12 pm
Mesa, AZ
Clear Sky - Low - WSW
Illuminated about 30%
Waning Crescent

Careful with vocabulary! Luminosity/Magnitude are brightness, Illumination % is what we're looking for.

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Mesa, AZ
6-13-23
5:27 AM
Mid-High to the East
39 Degrees altitude
Waning Crescent
Luminosity 22%

Pretty, but missing Moon's position information

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Mesa, AZ
June 15; 4:48am
Waning Crescent
15% Illumination

It's not New if you can see it! Check carefully. Also, missing Moon's position information.

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

New Moon
6:25pm
Illumination 0%

Missing Altitude -- also compare to the next one (drawing missed out on something!)

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

I was in Tempe when I made this observation on 6/21/23 at 8:53pm. It was in the Western sky. It had about 20% visibility.

Bonus Object! Careful to include all position information ("above horizon" isn't helpful - what is the altitude?)

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Facing W
above horizon
14% illumination
Waxing Crescent

Nice!

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

6-24-23
3:10 pm
Maricopa, AZ
47 Degrees SE
Illumination 37%
Waxing Crescent

Missing Phase Name, Check direction

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

June 24 - 7:11 p.m.
Above Horizon about 55 degrees - NW
Clear Skies
~40% Illumination

Nice!

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

June 25th 2023 7:10 pm
high south west
47% illuminated
First Quarter

Nice, but missing altitude

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Moon: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 59.3%
Date: 06/26/2023
Time: 11:22pm
Direction: SW
Location: Tempe, AZ

Nice!

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

06/28/23
6:37PM
Ahwatukee, AZ
~34 Alt
SouthEast
75% Illumination Waxing Gibbous

What illumination %?

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Location: Mesa AZ
Date: 07/01/2023
Time: 8:22pm
Altitude: 17*
SE
Waxing Gibbous

Pretty, but missing Moon's position in the sky and phase name

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Overexposure: Phase shape not obvious, leading to errors identifying phase

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

July 3rd 2023
97.7% Illumination
28* Altitude
South side 11:06pm
Mesa
Full Moon - Waning Gibbous

Nice!

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Scottsdale, AZ,
July 8, 2023, @ 9:02 AM
Altitude: 25 degrees
Position: WSW
Illumination: 67%
Waning Gibbous

Nice!

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Date: 07/06/2023
Time: 11:56pm
Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 78.1%
Direction: ESE
Altitude: 13degrees

Concerning - Direction and Position are VERY off, but image is correct for the location

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

Phoenix, AZ
June 28; 4:49pm
mid-high (altitude 50) in the north
Waxing Gibbous
76% illuminated

Missing Position & Illumination information

mel2065495 — 2023-10-02 23:52:49 UTC

date: 7/20/23
Time: 8:21pm
waxing crescent

Student Submissions: Compare!

mel2065495 — 2023-10-03 00:26:29 UTC

Waxing Cresent

ste2319849 — 2024-09-05 02:23:38 UTC

Kids found it before me.

Waxing crescent

2024-09-05 03:30:21 UTC

Waxing Crescent

2024-09-06 02:45:55 UTC

Waxing Crescent

2024-09-08 02:13:25 UTC

Waxing Crescent

2024-09-09 02:39:46 UTC

Waxing Gibbous

2024-09-12 05:26:18 UTC

Crossing over waxing gibbous phase

Waxing Gibbous

2024-09-13 05:58:05 UTC

Waxing Gibbous

2024-09-15 02:04:58 UTC

I have to bow down to Android phones because this picture from my mom's phone is far better than one I could get on my iPhone.

Full moon

ste2319849 — 2024-09-18 02:34:44 UTC

It's the Lunar eclipse tonight!

Full Moon

2024-09-19 02:48:43 UTC

Currently driving cross country and it was truly amazing watching the full moon rise over the horizon with a burnt orange color!

Waning Gibbous

2024-09-19 06:15:57 UTC

Full

jedarsena — 2024-09-20 20:10:01 UTC

I caught the partial lunar eclipse!

Waning Gibbous

2024-09-21 05:12:49 UTC

Waning Gibbous

2024-09-23 02:39:09 UTC

Took this on my way to work. Sorry not the best picture

Waning Gibbous

jedarsena — 2024-09-23 03:55:39 UTC

I took a pic of the moon

Waning Gibbous

2024-09-23 06:04:19 UTC

Waning gibbous

2024-09-23 06:06:39 UTC

Lunar eclipse “blood moon/orange moon”

Third Quarter

ste2319849 — 2024-09-23 13:01:54 UTC

Waning Gibbous

2024-09-25 20:16:06 UTC

Waning Crescent

2024-09-26 17:54:37 UTC

Waning Crescent

ste2319849 — 2024-09-26 20:53:09 UTC

Waning Cresent

2024-09-29 19:14:50 UTC

Waning Cresent

ste2319849 — 2024-09-30 21:59:07 UTC

Waning Crescent

jedarsena — 2024-10-01 02:36:58 UTC

New Moon

jedarsena — 2024-10-02 04:36:06 UTC

According to Stellarium mobile app this morning the moon was right here! Even before the sun came up I couldn't see it.

Waxing Crescent

2024-10-02 18:34:46 UTC

It is challenging to see the moon.

Waxing Crescent

mck2172680 — 2024-10-09 01:05:22 UTC

First quarter

ste2319849 — 2024-10-11 00:51:25 UTC

Waxing Gibbous

2024-10-13 06:10:17 UTC

1st Qtr

jedarsena — 2024-10-15 04:44:21 UTC

Waxing Gibbous

jedarsena — 2024-10-15 04:50:08 UTC

Full Moon

rei2149409 — 2024-10-17 14:51:29 UTC

Okay, I'm done with moon observations but I couldn't not share this photo my mom took this morning. :] I'll definitely be putting water out tonight too.

Waning Gibbous

2024-10-21 04:39:28 UTC

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:14:58 UTC

Waxing crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:16:51 UTC

My best moon pictures are always during the day.

waxing gibbous

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:17:30 UTC

Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:19:03 UTC

Probably the best image I've been able to get of any celestial object with an iPad camera in my life.

Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:19:29 UTC

Waning Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:20:06 UTC

Yellow moon

Waning Crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:20:50 UTC

Waning Crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:21:15 UTC

Good view

Waxing Crescent (first day of Ramadan :D)

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:22:05 UTC

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:22:29 UTC

Waxing Gibbous

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:23:04 UTC

Waning Crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:32:30 UTC

Waning Crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:33:09 UTC

Grabbed this from my telescope

Taken at 6:47pm on 02/10

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:33:24 UTC

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:33:36 UTC

Clear view tonight!

Waxing crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:34:00 UTC

Waxing Crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:34:06 UTC

Through the telescope

Full Moon

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:34:45 UTC

Waning Crescent

mel2065495 — 2025-05-27 01:35:27 UTC

Early morning Moon