Don't miss the half-lit moon take to the winter sky Feb. 9

A close up of the moon in the darkness of space, with its top right half obscured in shadow

The third quarter moon, also known as the final quarter moon rises on Feb. 9 (Image credit: CFOTO /Getty Images)

Turn your eyes to the southeast sky late on Feb. 9, into the early hours of Feb. 10 to see the last quarter moon rise among the stars of the constellation Libra, as vast lunar craters and sweeping mountain ranges are thrown into relief on its ancient surface.

February's third quarter moon phase will occur at 10:48 a.m. EST (1548 GMT) — during the daylight hours for stargazers in North America — when the left side of the lunar disk will appear bathed in direct sunlight, while the right is hidden under a veil of impenetrable shadow.

The third quarter moon is the perfect time to grab your telescope and explore the rims and shadow-lined basins of ancient craters that lie close to the line separating night from day on the lunar disk, known as the terminator. The Herchel, Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus and Arzachel craters make for spectacular targets around this time, with the final two sporting a prominent central peak that can easily be spotted through a 9-inch telescope.

Sweep your scope to the left of Herschel Crater to find the approximate landing sites of the Apollo 12 and Apollo 14 missions above Mare Cognitum, the latter of which set down a little over 55 years ago on Feb. 5, 1971.

A visualization of the third quarter moon showing key craters and other features labelled on the lunar surface. — Mountain ranges, craters and Apollo-era landing sites can be found around the third quarter moon phase. (Image credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio)

Next, look roughly 20 degrees above the lunar equator at the terminator to witness the curve of Montes Appenninus arcing into the terminator. The 370-mile-long (600-kilometer) lunar mountain range is thought to have formed from the same violent asteroid strike that carved out the Imbrium impact basin, which later filled with molten lava before hardening to create a dark basaltic plain that is known today as the "Sea of Showers".

Want to explore the peaks and depths of the lunar surface for yourself from the safety of your own backyard? Then be sure to check out our picks of the best telescopes and binoculars for exploring the night sky, along with our guide to observing the moon.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your lunar photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your image(s), comments, name and the location of your shoot to spacephotos@space.com.

Anthony Wood joined Space.com in April 2025 after contributing articles to outlets including IGN, New Atlas and Gizmodo. He has a passion for the night sky, science, Hideo Kojima, and human space exploration, and can’t wait for the day when astronauts once again set foot on the moon.

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