or "gibbous," shape until it reaches the full moon stage. Then it will repeat the steps in reverse as it heads back to a new moon. You can see what today's moon phase is here with the embedded ...
There are eight phases of the Moon beginning with the new Moon, followed by waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full Moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and finally waning crescent.
The first quarter of the lunar phase falls halfway between the New Moon and the Full Moon when the Sun and the Moon square each other. The ‘half-Moon’ thus perceived in the west rises around noon, and ...