As of Thursday, Aug. 21, the moon phase is Waning Crescent, and only 3% will be lit up to us on Earth, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

M11 is best viewed in the hours between sunset and midnight in August, when the cluster can be found roughly 40 degrees above the southern horizon. Remember, the width of your clenched fist held at arms length is the equivalent of 10 degrees in the night sky.

On Monday night, Aug. 11, the moon will be in its waning gibbous phase at roughly 94% illuminated after this past weekend's full moon, according to NASA.

How The Moon Phase You Were Born Under Influences Your Destiny originally appeared on Parade.

The ever-shifting phases of Earth's moon present a wealth of targets for amateur astronomers to explore, ranging from magnificent craters and lunar seas to strange visual phenomena created as sunlight plays across the ancient surface, forming familiar shapes where none should be.

On Aug. 23, the moon will reach its new moon phase, and this one is special. It's a seasonal black moon, a rare event that occurs about once every 23 months. The next one won't arrive until Aug. 20, 2028, according to timeanddate.com.

The Last Quarter Moon floats in the predawn sky, preparing to occult the Pleiades from some parts of the world.