The fortnight after full moon is when the sky quietly comes back. Every night the Moon arrives later, and every night you can see more.

From full to new, moonrise slides from sunset all the way round to sunrise, handing the early evening back to everything faint. Amateur astronomers plan their year around this window. If you have ever wondered why the Milky Way was staggering on one camping trip and completely absent on the next, the phase is almost always the answer.