Question
Answer and Explanation
On October 29th, 1984, the moon was in its Waning Gibbous phase. This means that it was more than half illuminated, but the illuminated portion was decreasing as it approached the New Moon.
The Waning Gibbous moon rises in the late evening or early morning hours and sets during the daytime. Its appearance is characterized by an oval shape, with the bright part of the moon on its left side (when viewed from the Northern Hemisphere). Therefore, on the night of October 29th, 1984, if you were able to see the moon, it would have appeared as a diminishing, slightly less than full, oval shape.