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Look up! International Observe the Moon Night is Saturday as scientists prepare for another trip to the moon

International Observe the Moon Night usually happens in September or October when the moon is in its first quarter, making it easier to see all its features.

PHOENIX — Editor's Note: The above video features Apollo 11 landing on the moon. 

Nothing beats an Arizona sunrise or sunset, but Saturday it is all about the moon.

International Observe the Moon Night is set for this weekend. It usually happens in September or October when the moon is in its first quarter, making it easier to see all its features. 

“I think it is a lovely opportunity for everybody to kind of think about how the moon has influenced culture and just how beautiful it is to look at and take more notice of the individual features,“ Ernie Wright, a NASA data visualizer, said. 

A first-quarter moon is cool because, with some help from clear skies and maybe a pair of binoculars, you'll be able to see craters, dark patches and possibly even Apollo landing spots. 

Thanks to the shadows on the moon during this time you'll get a great view of the moon's landscape. 

OK, we know what you might be thinking: What's the big deal about the moon? 

Scientific research on the moon has revealed so many new things about our solar system.  

“The moon is a great witness to the formation of the solar system and everything that’s happened in the last four and half billion years, unlike on Earth where weather and geological processes are constantly erasing and reforming the surface,” Wright explained. 

In last decade or so, researchers have found more clues about the moon's many mysteries, such as finding remnants of water and possibly the ability to sustain life. 

Wright said ice was found on the moon's south pole that was about 2 billion years old.  

After years of mapping, researching and the development of new technology scientists are taking big steps to go back to the moon. 

“The opportunity that we have now is to go places we couldn’t go before,” Wright said.

RELATED: NASA details $28 billion plan to land first woman, next man on the Moon in 2024

NASA's Artemis program wants to get the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024.

"We will collaborate with our commercial and international partners and establish sustainable exploration by the end of the decade. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars," a statement from NASA said. 

RELATED: Astronomers see possible hints of life in Venus's clouds

NASA will have special TV programming and online activities for people to participate in International Observe the Moon Night. 

For more information go to moon.nasa.gov/observe.

Upcoming dates for International Observe the Moon Night include: 

  • September 26, 2020

  • October 16, 2021

  • October 1, 2022

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