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Moon calendar · This month’s full moon, 21 August 2013

Moon calendar: August 2013

In August 2013 the full moon falls on 21 Aug (the Sturgeon Moon) and the new moon on 7 Aug. Every day below shows the Moon’s shape and how much of it is lit, with exact phase times underneath.

Key facts · August 2013
  • 7 Aug, 00:50 Vilnius time: new moon.
  • 14 Aug, 13:56 Vilnius time: first quarter.
  • 21 Aug, 04:44 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Sturgeon Moon.
  • 28 Aug, 12:35 Vilnius time: last quarter.
  • During August 2013 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 September 2013 (September 2013).
Moon calendar

August 2013

Illumination at noon, Europe/Vilnius

Moon phase times, August 2013

The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.

DatePhaseEurope/VilniusUTC
Wed 7 AugNew moon00:5021:50
Wed 14 AugFirst quarter13:5610:56
Wed 21 AugFull moon · Sturgeon Moon04:4401:44
Wed 28 AugLast quarter12:3509:35

The sky: August 2013

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 3 AugThe Moon near JupiterAbout 4.0° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon.
Sun 4 AugThe Moon near MarsAbout 5.2° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon.
Mon 5 AugThe Moon near MercuryAbout 4.3° apart. Look for Mercury next to the Moon.
Sat 10 AugThe Moon near VenusAbout 4.8° apart, but Venus is not visible that night.
Mon 12 AugPerseids meteor shower peakUp to 100 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 30% lit and will hide some fainter meteors.
Tue 13 AugThe Moon near SaturnAbout 2.8° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon.
Sat 31 AugThe Moon near JupiterAbout 4.4° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon.

Sky tonight →

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 2013

DateTime (UTC)Traditional name
Sun 27 Jan04:38Wolf Moonpassed
Mon 25 Feb20:26Snow Moonpassed
Wed 27 Mar09:27Worm Moonpassed
Thu 25 Apr19:57Pink Moonpassed
Sat 25 May04:24Flower Moonpassed
Sun 23 Jun11:32Strawberry Moonpassed
Mon 22 Jul18:15Buck Moonpassed
Wed 21 Aug01:44Sturgeon Moonpassed
Thu 19 Sep11:12Harvest Moonpassed
Sat 19 Oct23:37Hunter’s Moonpassed
Sun 17 Nov15:15Beaver Moonpassed
Tue 17 Dec09:28Cold Moonpassed

New moon dates 2013

DateTime (UTC)
Fri 11 Jan19:43passed
Sun 10 Feb07:20passed
Mon 11 Mar19:50passed
Wed 10 Apr09:35passed
Fri 10 May00:28passed
Sat 8 Jun15:56passed
Mon 8 Jul07:14passed
Wed 7 Aug21:50passed
Thu 5 Sep11:36passed
Sat 5 Oct00:34passed
Sun 3 Nov12:49passed
Tue 3 Dec00:22passed

The eight moon phases explained

Four principal phases are exact instants; the four in between are the days that connect them.

waxing →← waningEarthNew moonWaxing crescentFirst quarterWaxing gibbousFull moonWaning gibbousLast quarterWaning crescentwaxing →← waningEarthNew moonWaxing crescentFirst quarterWaxing gibbousFull moonWaning gibbousLast quarterWaning crescent
New moonMoon between Earth and Sun; not visible.
Waxing crescentA thin sliver grows on the right after sunset.
First quarterHalf lit; highest at sunset.
Waxing gibbousMore than half lit and still growing.
Full moonFully lit; rises at sunset, sets at sunrise.
Waning gibbousMore than half lit and shrinking; rises late in the evening.
Last quarterHalf lit; highest at sunrise.
Waning crescentA thin sliver before dawn.

Solar and lunar eclipses in 2013

No eclipse data for 2013.

Solar and lunar eclipses →

The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing

Haircut calendar →Folk calendars place trims that should grow back slowly in the waning half of the month.
Clearing and sortingThe two weeks after a full moon are traditionally kept for cleaning, pruning and closing what is open.
Journal promptWhat can I stop carrying before the next new moon?

Questions people ask

When is the full moon in August 2013?

The full moon is on 21 August 2013. Its traditional name is the Sturgeon Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.

When is the new moon in August 2013?

The new moon is on 7 August 2013. 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.

Sources
  1. Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed., Willmann-Bell, 1998, chapters 48 and 49.
  2. NASA Eclipse Web Site (eclipse dates and visibility).
How this page is made

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.

The moon is one of five signals

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