We are currently in the First Quarter phase of the Moon, with the illuminated part a bit over half and growing (waxing) toward the Full Moon.

Quick Scoop: What that means

  • The First Quarter Moon happens about a week after the New Moon.
  • The Moon appears like a half-circle in the sky, lit on the side toward where the Sun set (in the evening it’ll look like the right half is bright in the northern hemisphere).
  • Today’s Moon is about 8 days old in its 29.5‑day cycle and a bit more than 50% lit, so it’s already moving from “half” toward “fat gibbous.”

How this fits into the month

  • New Moon this cycle: January 19, 2026.
  • First Quarter: January 26, 2026 (today). The exact phase time is around midday local time, so tonight you’ll see that classic “half‑moon” look.
  • Next major stop is the Full Moon around early February (often called the Snow Moon in many naming traditions).

If you head outside after sunset, look high in the afternoon-evening sky: the Moon should be bright, “half-full,” and setting around midnight, a hallmark of the First Quarter phase.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.