NASA's worldwide Moon-watching night falls on Saturday, Sept. 19. You do not need a telescope, and the best window opens before it is even dark.
The Moon rises about 3:20 p.m. ET in New York and 2:58 p.m. PT in Los Angeles. By sunset, close to 7 p.m. in both, it is already riding high.
Your eyes are enough. On Sept. 19 the Moon is 58% lit, one day past first quarter, bright enough to show its dark lava plains with no gear at all.
The terminator is the boundary between lunar day and night. Craters there throw long shadows, so the Moon looks carved rather than flat.
Montes Apenninus rims the huge Imbrium basin and climbs roughly three miles. Apollo 15 landed at its foot in July 1971.
With binoculars, look for Tycho in the southern highlands, dark-floored Plato in the north and Alphonsus near the middle of the disk.
Brace them on a fence or railing to kill the shake. With a telescope, start at low magnification to frame the whole disk, then work closer.
NASA keeps a map of registered gatherings at planetariums, observatories, museums and astronomy clubs. Most are free, and you can register your own.
Events add Moon rocks, science talks and hands-on activities. NASA's runs 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
It is sponsored by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and the Solar System Exploration Division at Goddard Space Flight Center.
Post your photos with #ObserveTheMoon. Clouded out on Saturday? The Moon looks nearly as good on the evenings of Sept. 18 and Sept. 20.