88%

The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite, with a mean distance of about 384,400 km, a diameter of 3,475 km, and a mass of 7.35 × 10²² kg. Its surface is dominated by bright anorthositic highlands and darker basaltic plains called maria, formed by ancient volcanic flooding of large impact basins. The Moon’s surface is geologically old: many highland terrains date to more than 4 billion years ago, while most mare basalts are roughly 3–3.8 billion years old.

At 84% illumination, this waxing gibbous Moon is between first quarter and full, about 11 days into the 29.53-day synodic cycle. The terminator — the line dividing the lit and unlit halves — lies relatively near the lunar limb, so most of the near side is sunlit while a remaining crescent of darkness preserves stronger shadow relief near the edge. As full Moon approaches, shadows shorten across the central disk, making broad albedo contrasts between highlands and maria more prominent than topographic relief. Surface temperatures vary widely, from about 120 °C in sunlight to below −170 °C during lunar night.