Generally speaking, when viewing a half-moon from north of the equator, if the left side is lit, then the illuminated portion of the moon will be getting thinner (waning), but if the right side is lit, then the moon is getting fuller (waxing).
South of the equator, the opposite would be true.
This incredible video by William Castleman shows more than a few stars rising during the course of a Texas night. You can clearly see the bright, bushy centre of our Milky Way galaxy slide across the screen before the dawn comes.
I never tire of watching it.
Maybe listen to something from stillstream.com while viewing. And if you would like even better definition, you can download a higher resolution version from photographer William Castleman (link below).
Our galaxy is thought to contain between 200-400 billion stars.
Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party
from William Castleman
imahd.ca 