- 7 Oct, 07:12 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Hunter’s Moon.
- 14 Oct, 21:05 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 22 Oct, 20:27 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 29 Oct, 20:10 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- During October 1987 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 5 November 1987 (November 1987).
Moon phase times, October 1987
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 7 Oct | Full moon · Hunter’s Moon | 07:12 | 04:12 |
| Wed 14 Oct | Last quarter | 21:05 | 18:05 |
| Thu 22 Oct | New moon | 20:27 | 17:27 |
| Thu 29 Oct | First quarter | 20:10 | 17:10 |
The sky: October 1987
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 4 Oct | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 26° in the evening sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see. |
| Thu 8 Oct | The Moon near Jupiter | About 3.7° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Thu 8 Oct | Draconids meteor shower peak | Up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 95% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Sat 10 Oct | Southern Taurids meteor shower peak | Up to 5 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 85% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Sun 18 Oct | Jupiter at opposition | The planet is opposite the Sun: it rises at sunset, is up all night and at its brightest of the year. |
| Wed 21 Oct | The Moon near Mars | About 1.5° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Wed 21 Oct | Orionids meteor shower peak | Up to 20 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 1% lit and will not interfere. |
| Sat 24 Oct | The Moon near Venus | About 3.8° apart, but Venus is not visible that night. |
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 1987
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 15 Jan | 02:30 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Fri 13 Feb | 20:57 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Sun 15 Mar | 13:12 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Tue 14 Apr | 02:30 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Wed 13 May | 12:49 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Fri 12 Jun | 20:48 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Sat 11 Jul | 03:32 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Sun 9 Aug | 10:16 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Mon 7 Sep | 18:12 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Wed 7 Oct | 04:12 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Thu 5 Nov | 16:45 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Sat 5 Dec | 08:00 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 1987
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 29 Jan | 13:44 | passed |
| Sat 28 Feb | 00:50 | passed |
| Sun 29 Mar | 12:45 | passed |
| Tue 28 Apr | 01:34 | passed |
| Wed 27 May | 15:13 | passed |
| Fri 26 Jun | 05:36 | passed |
| Sun 26 Jul | 20:37 | passed |
| Mon 24 Aug | 11:58 | passed |
| Wed 23 Sep | 03:08 | passed |
| Thu 22 Oct | 17:27 | passed |
| Sat 21 Nov | 06:32 | passed |
| Sun 20 Dec | 18:24 | 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 1987
No eclipse data for 1987.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in October 1987?
The full moon is on 7 October 1987. Its traditional name is the Hunter’s Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in October 1987?
The new moon is on 22 October 1987. 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.