If you stepped outside at 5:00 AM this morning and looked toward the southeast, you might have seen it—a thin, ghostly silver thread hanging low in the sky. Honestly, it’s one of those mornings where the moon phase today feels more like a whisper than a celestial body.
We are currently looking at a waning crescent. It’s tiny. Only about 10% of the surface is lit up right now. By the time you read this on January 15, 2026, the moon is basically packing its bags for the new moon phase coming up in just a few days.
But don't let that little sliver fool you. While the moon itself is looking pretty quiet, the ground beneath our feet is vibrating with activity. Down in Florida, things are getting real.
Why the Moon Phase Today Matters for Stargazers
Today is day 26 of the lunar cycle. For most people, that means the moon is barely there. But for folks who own a decent pair of binoculars or a telescope, there's a specific target to hunt for: the Grimaldi Basin.
It’s a massive, dark impact crater on the western edge. Because the sun is hitting the moon at such a sharp angle right now, the shadows are deep. It makes the topography pop in a way you just don't get during a full moon.
The Antares Meetup
There’s also a pretty cool celestial dance happening. This morning, the moon was hanging out less than 10 degrees away from Antares, that bright, reddish "heart of the scorpion" star in the constellation Scorpius. If you missed it at dawn, you’re outta luck for today, but the proximity was a gift for astrophotographers.
The lack of moonlight is actually a blessing. Because the moon is so dim, it’s not "polluting" the sky with its own glow. This is arguably the best weekend of 2026 so far for deep-sky observation. You can see the Orion Nebula or the Andromeda Galaxy without that giant white orb washing everything out.
Artemis II: The Giant Is About to Move
While we’re staring at a 10% illuminated crescent, NASA engineers at Kennedy Space Center are staring at a 322-foot-tall monster.
We are exactly two days away from the historic rollout of the Artemis II SLS rocket.
On Saturday, January 17, the massive Crawler-Transporter 2 is going to start inching that rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Pad 39B. It’s a four-mile trip that takes about 12 hours. Basically, the rocket moves slower than a turtle.
"We are moving closer to Artemis 2, with rollout just around the corner," says Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator at NASA.
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This isn't just another test. This is the one with people on it. Four humans—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—are slated to fly around the moon as early as next month. This is the closest we’ve been to a crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. It’s wild to think about.
What’s Happening at the Launch Pad?
Right now, technicians are doing final "closeouts." They're checking every valve and wire on the Orion spacecraft sitting on top of that SLS rocket. If you’ve ever felt stressed about a check-engine light in your car, imagine having to check a million sensors that have to work in a vacuum at 32,000 kilometers per hour.
The 2026 Lunar Calendar: What’s Next?
If you’re a "moongazer," 2026 is going to be your year. We just had a supermoon on January 3, but that was just the appetizer.
- January 18: New Moon. The moon goes completely dark.
- February 1: The next Full Moon (The Snow Moon).
- February 17: An "Annular" solar eclipse. The moon will cover the center of the sun, creating a "ring of fire," mostly visible from Antarctica and parts of Africa.
- March 2-3: A total lunar eclipse. This is the "Blood Moon" everyone loves to photograph.
The moon is also getting crowded with robots. Aside from the human Artemis mission, we've got China’s Chang’e 7 aiming for the South Pole later this year. They’re looking for water ice in those craters that never see the sun.
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Is the Moon Today Affecting You?
People talk a lot about the "Lunar Effect"—the idea that a full moon makes people crazy or keeps them awake.
Well, today is the opposite. With a waning crescent, there’s almost no moonlight at night. Scientifically, this is usually when people report better sleep because the sky is naturally darker. If you’ve been feeling a bit more tired or "low energy" lately, some folklore suggests the waning phase is a time for reflection and clearing out the old.
Whether you believe in the vibes or just the physics, the moon phase today is a reminder that things are constantly shifting. We’re in the quiet part of the cycle before the noise of the Artemis launch begins.
Actionable Tips for Tonight
If you want to make the most of what’s going on with the moon today, here is your game plan:
- Check the Horizon: Look southeast about 45 minutes before sunrise tomorrow. You'll see an even thinner crescent than today.
- Look for Earthshine: See if you can spot the "old moon in the new moon’s arms." It’s that faint glow on the dark part of the moon caused by sunlight reflecting off Earth.
- Dust off the Telescope: Tonight is the night for deep-space objects like the Pleiades star cluster. Since the moon is basically "turned off," these stars will look incredibly sharp.
- Follow the Rollout: Keep an eye on the NASA live stream this Saturday morning. Seeing that 30-story rocket move to the pad is a "once in a generation" kind of vibe.
The moon might be small in the sky today, but in terms of human history, it's never been bigger. It's no longer just a light in the sky; it's a destination again.