At 6 pm, a buff astronomy instructor is preparing for a date with victoria pratt when he observes a fingernail shaped moon fairly low in the western sky. what phase is the moon in and how long will it take before the next new moon occurs?

Waxing crescent moon phase and it will take 29 days to a new moon.

Explanation:

Waxing means the illumination of the Moon is rising and' Crescent' means less than half of the Moon is illuminated. The waxing crescent phase is the first step towards fullness for the moon. And it's a very noticeable change— until a tiny sliver is illuminated, the moon becomes completely invisible (while it's new). The moon is only called a crescent if less than a half of it is visible the waxing crescent phase repeats every 29 days.