Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Monday, July 11th.  Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 9:27.   The moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 3:25 tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:08.

The moon tonight is a big fat gibbous phase.  The terminator, now before full moon is the sunrise line that creates tonight’s phase.  It’s crossing the large sea called Oceanus Procellarum or the Ocean of Storms.  It is the moon’s largest sea, though really a lava basin.  This is easily seen with the unaided eye and binoculars.  The moon has never had oceans or seas of water.  That impression was in the eyes of early telescopic observers of the moon , who even thought there was life on the moon. Oceanus is huge, by lunar standards, 434 by 303 miles with indistinct walls.  Lunar seas are actually huge craters with an age over 3 billion years.

* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The moon's Oceanus Procellarum. Image from the Virtual Moon Atlas.