Looking up at the sky and wondering where the moon is? Today's lack of beautiful moonlight isn't a mystery; it's to do with where we are in the lunar cycle. Intrigued? Keep reading.
The lunar cycle is a series of eight phases of the moon's visibility, based on how much light the sun shines on it. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up various parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth.
Here's what the moon is doing today, June 25, 2025.
What is today’s moon phase?
As of Wednesday, June 25, the moon phase is New Moon. In this phase, you can't see the moon at all. 0%, to be precise (according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation).
Today also marks day 0 of the lunar cycle. During this phase, the lit up side of the moon is facing the Sun rather than Earth. According to NASA, the Moon usually doesn’t pass directly between Earth and the Sun during this phase because its orbit is slightly tilted. From our view on Earth, it just appears to pass near the Sun.
As you would expect, there's no chance of spotting anything on the moon's surface tonight, even if you have a telescope.
When is the next full moon?
June's full moon was on June 11. The next full moon will be on July 10.
What are moon phases?
We've now reached day 0 of the 29.5-day lunar cycle. This is a cycle, NASA tells us, caused by the angles between the sun, moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. So, sometimes it looks full, sometimes half, and sometimes not there at all. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:
New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).
Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.
Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side.
Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
