Cool Moon Facts by Whip

Real astronomy, with sources. Folklore & tradition.

Fact #008 Observing

The full moon is the worst night of the month to look at the Moon.

With the Sun straight overhead in lunar terms, there are no shadows, so craters and mountains flatten into a bright smear. The good stuff happens along the terminator, the line between lit and unlit, where low sunlight throws shadows kilometres long. Any night but full is a better night.

Source: NASA Moon observing (opens in a new tab) · checked Aug 2026

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