Third Quarter Moon Shines Half-Lit Tonight

The moon will be half-lit tonight as it reaches its third quarter phase, marking the halfway point between the full moon and the next new moon which will occur on June 18. The new moon will be joined in the sky by the ringed gas giant Saturn. The waning will continue while our natural satellite heads into the new moon, at which point it will appear completely dark as it reaches a point in its orbit directly between Earth and the sun, with its shadowed side pointing towards our planet.