Overview

• NASA’s Daily Moon Observation shows the Moon in a waning gibbous phase at 88% illumination on August 12.
• The Perseids meteor shower reached its peak as the bright Moon rose, and its glow is expected to reduce the number of visible meteors.
• The waning gibbous phase marks the transition from full toward half illumination within the 29.5-day lunar cycle.
• Skywatchers can spot the Kepler Crater, Mare Serenitatis and Mare Vaporum without optical aid and view the Apollo 16 site, Schiller Crater and the Caucasus Mountains through a telescope.
• The next full moon—dubbed the Full Corn Moon—is forecast for September 7, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.