- 2 Dec, 09:49 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Cold Moon.
- 9 Dec, 04:03 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 17 Dec, 06:21 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 25 Dec, 05:15 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 31 Dec, 20:34 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Cold Moon.
- During December 1990 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 30 January 1991 (January 1991).
Moon phase times, December 1990
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 2 Dec | Full moon · Cold Moon | 09:49 | 07:49 |
| Sun 9 Dec | Last quarter | 04:03 | 02:03 |
| Mon 17 Dec | New moon | 06:21 | 04:21 |
| Tue 25 Dec | First quarter | 05:15 | 03:15 |
| Mon 31 Dec | Full moon · Cold Moon | 20:34 | 18:34 |
The sky: December 1990
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Sat 1 Dec | The Moon near Mars | About 2.6° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Thu 6 Dec | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 21° in the evening sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see. |
| Thu 6 Dec | The Moon near Jupiter | About 1.9° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Thu 13 Dec | Geminids meteor shower peak | Up to 150 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 7% lit and will not interfere. |
| Wed 19 Dec | The Moon near Saturn | About 0.3° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Sat 22 Dec | Ursids meteor shower peak | Up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 27% lit and will not interfere. |
| Sat 29 Dec | The Moon near Mars | About 2.3° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
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 1990
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 11 Jan | 04:56 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Fri 9 Feb | 19:15 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Sun 11 Mar | 10:58 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Tue 10 Apr | 03:18 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Wed 9 May | 19:30 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Fri 8 Jun | 11:00 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Sun 8 Jul | 01:23 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Mon 6 Aug | 14:19 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Wed 5 Sep | 01:45 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Thu 4 Oct | 12:01 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Fri 2 Nov | 21:47 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Sun 2 Dec | 07:49 | Cold Moon | passed |
| Mon 31 Dec | 18:34 | Blue Moon | passed |
New moon dates 1990
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 26 Jan | 19:19 | passed |
| Sun 25 Feb | 08:54 | passed |
| Mon 26 Mar | 19:48 | passed |
| Wed 25 Apr | 04:27 | passed |
| Thu 24 May | 11:46 | passed |
| Fri 22 Jun | 18:54 | passed |
| Sun 22 Jul | 02:54 | passed |
| Mon 20 Aug | 12:38 | passed |
| Wed 19 Sep | 00:46 | passed |
| Thu 18 Oct | 15:36 | passed |
| Sat 17 Nov | 09:04 | passed |
| Mon 17 Dec | 04:21 | 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 1990
No eclipse data for 1990.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in December 1990?
The full moon is on 2 December 1990, 31 December 1990. Its traditional name is the Cold Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in December 1990?
The new moon is on 17 December 1990. 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.