In opposition to the moon in the Northern Hemisphere, the moon in the Southern Hemisphere will illuminate from left to right, become full, and then diminish from left to right. A moon that’s illuminated on the left side is waxing, while a moon that’s illuminated on the right side is waning.

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, the moon waxes and wanes from right to left, meaning a waxing moon is illuminated on the right side, and a waning moon is illuminated on the left side. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite—the moon waxes and wanes from left to right.

In the southern hemisphere, the waxing illuminated side of the Moon increases from left to right and the dark waning side also increases from left to right. These are opposite in the northern hemisphere and why the moon can be thought of as being ‘upside down’ from the other hemisphere’s perspective.