- 8 Dec, 02:51 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 14 Dec, 23:04 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 22 Dec, 03:41 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Cold Moon.
- 30 Dec, 06:56 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- During December 1961 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 20 January 1962 (January 1962).
Moon phase times, December 1961
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 8 Dec | New moon | 02:51 | 23:51 |
| Thu 14 Dec | First quarter | 23:04 | 20:04 |
| Fri 22 Dec | Full moon · Cold Moon | 03:41 | 00:41 |
| Sat 30 Dec | Last quarter | 06:56 | 03:56 |
The sky: December 1961
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Sun 10 Dec | The Moon near Saturn | About 2.2° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Mon 11 Dec | The Moon near Jupiter | About 1.9° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Wed 13 Dec | Geminids meteor shower peak | Up to 150 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 46% lit and will hide some fainter meteors. |
| Fri 22 Dec | Ursids meteor shower peak | Up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 99% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
How to read the moon calendar
Each day shows its date, the share of the Moon’s disc that is lit at noon, and the Moon’s shape that day. When a full moon, new moon or quarter falls on a day, it is named at the bottom of the cell.
Illumination is the part of the disc lit by the Sun. It grows from new moon to full moon (waxing) and shrinks from full moon to new moon (waning). Each day opens its own page with every signal for that date.
Full moon dates 1961
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Jan | 23:05 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Tue 31 Jan | 18:46 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Thu 2 Mar | 13:33 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Sat 1 Apr | 05:46 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Sun 30 Apr | 18:39 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Tue 30 May | 04:36 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Wed 28 Jun | 12:36 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Thu 27 Jul | 19:49 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Sat 26 Aug | 03:12 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Sun 24 Sep | 11:32 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Tue 24 Oct | 21:29 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Wed 22 Nov | 09:43 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Fri 22 Dec | 00:41 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 1961
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 17 Jan | 21:29 | passed |
| Wed 15 Feb | 08:09 | passed |
| Thu 16 Mar | 18:49 | passed |
| Sat 15 Apr | 05:36 | passed |
| Sun 14 May | 16:53 | passed |
| Tue 13 Jun | 05:15 | passed |
| Wed 12 Jul | 19:10 | passed |
| Fri 11 Aug | 10:35 | passed |
| Sun 10 Sep | 02:48 | passed |
| Mon 9 Oct | 18:51 | passed |
| Wed 8 Nov | 09:57 | passed |
| Fri 8 Dec | 23:51 | passed |
The eight moon phases explained
Four principal phases are exact instants; the four in between are the days that connect them.
Solar and lunar eclipses in 1961
No eclipse data for 1961.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in December 1961?
The full moon is on 22 December 1961. Its traditional name is the Cold Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in December 1961?
The new moon is on 8 December 1961. The Moon can’t be seen that night: it sits between Earth and the Sun with its lit side turned away.
What do the percentages mean?
They show how much of the Moon’s disc is lit at noon. 0% is new moon, 100% is full moon and 50% is a quarter.
Why does another calendar give a different date?
A phase is a moment. When it falls near midnight, the date can differ by one day between time zones. This calendar uses Europe/Vilnius time for the days.
How often is there a full moon?
About every 29.5 days. Some months have two; the second is called a Blue Moon.
- Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed., Willmann-Bell, 1998, chapters 48 and 49.
- NASA Eclipse Web Site (eclipse dates and visibility).
Numbers update through the day from public sources. The text for each day is written from that day’s data and checked by the editor. Every past day keeps its own page in the archive.