Crescent Moon Seen Around the World

Question:

What would a crescent moon look like from various locations on the Earth?

Answer:

Just like with the stars, the moon's appearance in our sky would vary slightly according to our latitude. Two locations on the Earth that share the same latitude would see the moon in the same phase, and same orientation, but not at the same time. But if you view the moon from two locations that share the same latitude, and at the same local time (using the time zone of their location) the moon would look the same.

If you view the moon from difference latitudes, you would see the same phase, but it would be in a slightly different orientation. In the illustrations below, a waning crescent moon is viewed shortly after rising in the east. In each illustration, the time is set for 5:00 AM local time, meaning 5 o'clock in the morning at that location. Notice the "tilt" of the crescent moon in each location would be slightly different.

Click on the image to view a larger illustration.
(credit: illustrations created in Starry Night)

See also our Moon FAQ page; questions Are the phases different in the northern and southern hemispheres? and If we are seeing a full moon here in the United States, would people in India see the full moon?.

Crescent Moon

Moon-May11-Madison Crescent moon as seen before sunrise (5:00 AM local time) on May 11, 2007, from Madison, Wisconsin. 43° N latitude.	Moon-May11-Honolulu Crescent moon as seen before sunrise (5:00 AM local time) on May 11, 2007, from Honolulu, Hawaii. 21° N latitude.
Moon-May11-Nairobi Crescent moon as seen before sunrise (5:00 AM local time) on May 11, 2007, from Nairobi, Kenya. On the equator.	Moon-May11-Christchurch Crescent moon as seen before sunrise (5:00 AM local time) on May 11, 2007, from Christchurch, New Zealand. 43° S latitude.