New Delhi, Aug. 18 -- The moon phase today, August 18, 2026, is a Waxing Crescent, about 34 percent illuminated and six days into the current lunar cycle. It is already above the horizon by early afternoon in most of the world, and it sits well up in the southwest once the sky darkens. This is the last comfortable evening for earthshine before the crescent gets too bright to show it.

Yesterday the same moon was a quarter lit at 25 percent. It has gained roughly nine percentage points in twenty four hours, which is close to the fastest the lit fraction ever changes. The cycle opened on August 12 with a new moon and a total solar eclipse, and it is now most of the way to first quarter.

Moon phase today at a glance

The illumination figure...