Join with NASA in celebrating “International Observe the Moon Night” on October 1, 2022. Credit: NASA/Vi Nguyen
NASA invites the public to participate in the celebration of “International Observe the Moon Night” on Saturday, October 1. This annual, worldwide public engagement event takes place when the Moon is close to first quarter – a great phase for evening observing. Last year approximately 500,000 people participated in the event. That included people from 122 different countries and all seven continents.
This celebration provides special opportunities to observe celestial bodies, learn about lunar science and exploration, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon.
A first quarter Moon is ideal for observing. This is when the Moon is a quarter of the way through its monthly journey and you see half of its illuminated side. People may casually call this a half moon, but remember, that’s not really what you’re witnessing in the sky. You’re seeing just a slice of the entire Moon ― half of the illuminated half. A first quarter moon rises around noon and sets around midnight. It’s high in the sky in the evening and makes for excellent viewing. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio/Ernie Wright
How to participate:
- Host an event in your community; participate in an event; or observe with your family, friends, or on your own. Events can be in-person, virtual, or hybrid.
- Register your participation to add yourself to the map of lunar observers worldwide.
- Connect with lunar enthusiasts around the world and share your Moon viewing experience on social media, tagging #ObserveTheMoon.
- On October 1, tune into a NASA TV Broadcast from 7 p.m.–8 p.m. EST and find views of the Moon from telescopes around the world on the program’s Live Streams page.
- Find more information and resources on moon.nasa.gov/observe.
Refer to NASA’s Moon viewing guides, activity guides, and custom 2022 program Moon maps to make the most of your observations:
The Moon is a stepping stone to learning more about our solar system, galaxy, and universe. NASA is preparing to launch its Artemis I test flight to the Moon, a major step forward in a new era of human deep-space exploration.
NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon through Artemis missions. They will use innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before for the benefit of the world.
International Observe the Moon Night is sponsored by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission and the Solar System Exploration Division of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with support from many partners. LRO launched on June 18, 200, and has collected a treasure trove of data with its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon. LRO is managed by NASA Goddard for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
