- 1 Dec, 09:49 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 9 Dec, 08:35 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 16 Dec, 08:40 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 23 Dec, 08:28 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Cold Moon.
- 31 Dec, 07:56 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- During December 1988 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 22 January 1989 (January 1989).
Moon phase times, December 1988
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 Dec | Last quarter | 09:49 | 06:49 |
| Fri 9 Dec | New moon | 08:35 | 05:35 |
| Fri 16 Dec | First quarter | 08:40 | 05:40 |
| Fri 23 Dec | Full moon · Cold Moon | 08:28 | 05:28 |
| Sat 31 Dec | Last quarter | 07:56 | 04:56 |
The sky: December 1988
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Tue 13 Dec | Geminids meteor shower peak | Up to 150 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 26% lit and will not interfere. |
| Sat 17 Dec | The Moon near Mars | About 2.7° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Tue 20 Dec | The Moon near Jupiter | About 5.9° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Wed 21 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 1988
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 4 Jan | 01:40 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Tue 2 Feb | 20:51 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Thu 3 Mar | 16:00 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Sat 2 Apr | 09:21 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Mon 2 May | 23:40 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Tue 31 May | 10:53 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Wed 29 Jun | 19:45 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Fri 29 Jul | 03:24 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Sat 27 Aug | 10:55 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Sun 25 Sep | 19:06 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Tue 25 Oct | 04:35 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Wed 23 Nov | 15:52 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Fri 23 Dec | 05:28 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 1988
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 19 Jan | 05:25 | passed |
| Wed 17 Feb | 15:53 | passed |
| Fri 18 Mar | 02:01 | passed |
| Sat 16 Apr | 11:59 | passed |
| Mon 16 May | 22:10 | passed |
| Tue 14 Jun | 09:13 | passed |
| Thu 14 Jul | 21:52 | passed |
| Fri 12 Aug | 12:30 | passed |
| Sun 11 Sep | 04:48 | passed |
| Tue 11 Oct | 21:48 | passed |
| Wed 9 Nov | 14:19 | passed |
| Fri 9 Dec | 05:35 | 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 1988
No eclipse data for 1988.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in December 1988?
The full moon is on 23 December 1988. Its traditional name is the Cold Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in December 1988?
The new moon is on 9 December 1988. 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.