文章介绍了月球的八种主要相位，这是一个持续约29.5天的周期性变化过程。这些相位的形成是由于月球绕地球公转时，太阳光照射到月球不同部分的角度发生变化，从而影响我们在地球上看到的月球被照亮的部分。文章详细解释了新月、娥眉月、上弦月、盈凸月、满月、亏凸月、下弦月和残月等八个阶段的特征。文中还提到，在7月26日，月相为“渐盈眉月”，仅有4%的月面可见，难以观测到月面细节。下一个满月将在8月9日出现。

🌕 月相变化源于月球绕地球的29.5天周期性公转，太阳、月球和地球三者相对位置的变化决定了我们在地球上看到的月球被照亮部分的多少，从而形成了从新月到满月的不同外观。

🌟 月球的八个主要相位包括：新月（不可见）、渐盈眉月（右侧出现一小片光）、上弦月（右侧半月）、盈凸月（大部分被照亮但未满）、满月（整个月面被照亮）、亏凸月（右侧开始变暗）、下弦月（左侧半月）以及残月（左侧剩下细长光条），它们循环往复，周而复始。

🔭 文章指出，在7月26日，月相为“渐盈眉月”，只有4%的月面可见，即使使用望远镜也难以观测到月面细节，这表明在月相的某些阶段，观测条件会受到很大限制。

🗓️ 下一个满月预计将在8月9日出现，而上一个满月则发生在7月10日，这为关注月球变化的爱好者提供了具体的观测时间参考。

The moon is becoming a little bit brighter each night as we work through the phases of the lunar cycle.

The lunar cycle is a series of eight unique phases of the moon's visibility. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth. 

See what's happening tonight, July 26.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Saturday, July 26, the moon phase is Waxing Crescent. There's still not much to see tonight, with only 4% of the surface visible to us on Earth (according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation).

It's the second day of the lunar cycle, and with such limited visibility, there's nothing for you to spot on the moon's surface tonight, not even with binoculars or a telescope.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on August 9. The last full moon was on July 10.

What are moon phases?

According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon’s orbit, which changes 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. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. 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.