- 6 Mar, 13:30 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 13 Mar, 04:50 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 20 Mar, 18:22 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Worm Moon.
- 28 Mar, 22:33 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- During March 1981 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 19 April 1981 (April 1981).
Moon phase times, March 1981
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 6 Mar | New moon | 13:30 | 10:30 |
| Fri 13 Mar | First quarter | 04:50 | 01:50 |
| Fri 20 Mar | Full moon · Worm Moon | 18:22 | 15:22 |
| Sat 28 Mar | Last quarter | 22:33 | 19:33 |
The sky: March 1981
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Wed 4 Mar | The Moon near Mercury | About 2.2° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Wed 4 Mar | Jupiter and Saturn together | Only 1.1° apart: both fit in a binocular field. |
| Mon 16 Mar | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 28° in the morning sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see. |
| Sat 21 Mar | The Moon near Jupiter | About 2.7° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Sat 21 Mar | The Moon near Saturn | About 1.6° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Thu 26 Mar | Jupiter at opposition | The planet is opposite the Sun: it rises at sunset, is up all night and at its brightest of the year. |
| Fri 27 Mar | Saturn at opposition | The planet is opposite the Sun: it rises at sunset, is up all night and at its brightest of the year. |
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 1981
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 20 Jan | 07:38 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Thu 19 Feb | 22:57 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Fri 20 Mar | 15:22 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Sun 19 Apr | 07:58 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Tue 19 May | 00:03 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Wed 17 Jun | 15:04 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Fri 17 Jul | 04:38 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Sat 15 Aug | 16:36 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Mon 14 Sep | 03:08 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Tue 13 Oct | 12:49 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Thu 12 Nov | 22:26 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Fri 11 Dec | 08:41 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 1981
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 6 Jan | 07:23 | passed |
| Thu 5 Feb | 22:13 | passed |
| Fri 6 Mar | 10:30 | passed |
| Sun 5 Apr | 20:19 | passed |
| Mon 4 May | 04:18 | passed |
| Tue 2 Jun | 11:31 | passed |
| Wed 1 Jul | 19:02 | passed |
| Fri 31 Jul | 03:51 | passed |
| Sat 29 Aug | 14:43 | passed |
| Mon 28 Sep | 04:07 | passed |
| Tue 27 Oct | 20:12 | passed |
| Thu 26 Nov | 14:38 | passed |
| Sat 26 Dec | 10:09 | 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 1981
No eclipse data for 1981.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in March 1981?
The full moon is on 20 March 1981. Its traditional name is the Worm Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in March 1981?
The new moon is on 6 March 1981. 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.