{
  "id": 11598406,
  "title": "Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on October 3, 2026",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/moon-phase-today-what-the-moon-will-look-like-on-october-3-2026",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-03T04:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mashable",
    "slug": "mashable",
    "url": "https://mashable.com/science/moon-phase-today-oct-3-2026"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Moon is currently in its Third Quarter phase on October 3, 2026, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide. This means roughly half of the lunar surface is illuminated from Earth, allowing for the observation of various craters and surface features. With just the naked eye, the Copernicus Crater, Aristarchus Plateau, and Mare Imbrium are visible. Binoculars can reveal the Archimedes, Alphonsus, and Gassendi Craters. Telescopes offer a view of the Apollo 13 landing site and the Schiller Crater.\n\nThe Moon completes its orbit around Earth approximately every 29.5 days, resulting in eight distinct phases. These include the New Moon, when the Moon is between Earth and the Sun and thus appears dark; Waxing Crescent, with a small sliver of light on the right side in the Northern Hemisphere; First Quarter, when half of the Moon is illuminated; Waxing Gibbous, when more than half is illuminated but not yet full; Full Moon, when the entire face is visible; Waning Gibbous, when the right side starts losing light; Third Quarter, another half-Moon with the left side illuminated; and Waning Crescent, with a thin sliver of light remaining on the left side before disappearing.",
  "summary": "See the Moon phase expected for October 3, 2026 as well as when the next Full Moon is expected.",
  "key_points": [
    "Moon in Third Quarter phase on October 3, 2026",
    "Visible craters: Copernicus, Aristarchus, Mare Imbrium",
    "Binoculars reveal Archimedes, Alphonsus, Gassendi Craters"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Moon's Third Quarter phase on October 3, 2026, enables detailed observation of lunar surface features, offering varying levels of visibility with the naked eye, binoculars, and telescopes.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}