It's hard to believe we're still a few days away from a full moon, especially when it looks almost there tonight. The lunar cycle is a series of eight unique phases of the moon's visibility, and we're still in the phase before a full moon. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth.

If you enjoy spotting marks on the moon's surface, this is the time of the lunar cycle to pull out the binoculars. With your unaided eye, you'll be able to spot many things tonight, but most notably the Mare Cirisum, the Mare Tranquillitatis, and the Tycho Crater.

With binoculars, you'll also be able to see the Mare Humorum, the Alps Mountains, and the Clavius Crater.

If you're lucky enough to have a telescope, there are endless geological features to spot, namely the Caucasus Mountains, Apollo 11, and the Descartes Highlands.

The next full moon will be on August 9. The last full moon was on July 10.

According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon's orbit, which changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.