Moon Phase Today: What to Expect on September 20, 2026

Look up tonight and you’ll see the Moon swelling, a familiar glow that tells us we’re getting close to the Full Moon later this week. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, the lunar disk is at 64 % illumination – a classic waxing‑gibbous stage.

If you’re just using your eyes, you can already pick out a few of the Moon’s bright “seas.” The dark‑gray Mare Vaporum sits roughly in the centre, while the larger Mare Serenitatis hangs just to the east. And don’t miss the striking Tycho crater, its bright rays shooting out like a firework frozen in time.

Got a pair of binoculars? Great. They’ll pull the fainter features into view: the crater Alphonsus with its rugged rim, the rounded Posidonius, and even the jagged line of the Apennine Mountains that marks the edge of Mare Imbrium. It’s a quick upgrade that feels like getting a backstage pass.

For the true stargazers who own a small telescope, the night sky offers a treat. You can spot the historic landing sites of Apollo 11, 16 and 17 – tiny silhouettes on the surface that mark humanity’s first steps on another world. It’s a humbling reminder that those footprints are still there, silently watching us.

Mark your calendar: the Full Moon arrives on September 26, 2026, just six days from now. Until then the Moon will continue its steady climb, shedding a little more darkness each night until it finally glows in full brilliance.

Why does the Moon change at all? It’s all about geometry. As the Moon orbits Earth every 29.5 days, we see varying slices of its sun‑lit half. From the thin crescent we see after a New Moon, to the half‑Moon at First Quarter, then the bright gibbous phases, and finally the Full Moon, before the cycle flips into waning. The dance of Earth, Moon and Sun creates the eight classic phases we all recognize.