February 1, 2022
This month begins with a new moon, illuminated by only about 0.5 percent this morning. This is the beginning of a new lunar cycle, which takes 29.5 days to complete. During this lunar cycle, the Moon completes one full orbit around Earth. The phase of the moon changes based on its relative position to the Earth, and on the Earth’s relative position to the Sun.
Phases of the moon. Image credit: NASA/Bill Dunford