- 6 Dec, 14:26 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Cold Moon.
- 14 Dec, 14:51 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 22 Dec, 03:35 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 28 Dec, 20:31 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- During December 2014 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 January 2015 (January 2015).
Moon phase times, December 2014
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 6 Dec | Full moon · Cold Moon | 14:26 | 12:26 |
| Sun 14 Dec | Last quarter | 14:51 | 12:51 |
| Mon 22 Dec | New moon | 03:35 | 01:35 |
| Sun 28 Dec | First quarter | 20:31 | 18:31 |
The sky: December 2014
Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.
Planets visible (mid-month)
Events
| Fri 12 Dec | The Moon near Jupiter | About 4.9° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Sat 13 Dec | Geminids meteor shower peak | Up to 150 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 52% lit and will hide some fainter meteors. |
| Fri 19 Dec | The Moon near Saturn | About 1.5° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon. |
| Mon 22 Dec | Ursids meteor shower peak | Up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 1% lit and will not interfere. |
| Thu 25 Dec | The Moon near Mars | About 5.5° 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 2014
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 16 Jan | 04:52 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Sat 15 Feb | 23:53 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Sun 16 Mar | 17:08 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Tue 15 Apr | 07:42 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Wed 14 May | 19:15 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Fri 13 Jun | 04:11 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Sat 12 Jul | 11:24 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Sun 10 Aug | 18:09 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Tue 9 Sep | 01:38 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Wed 8 Oct | 10:50 | Hunter’s Moon | passed |
| Fri 7 Nov | 22:22 | Beaver Moon | passed |
| Sat 6 Dec | 12:26 | Cold Moon | passed |
New moon dates 2014
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 Jan | 11:14 | passed |
| Thu 30 Jan | 21:38 | passed |
| Sat 1 Mar | 07:59 | passed |
| Sun 30 Mar | 18:44 | passed |
| Tue 29 Apr | 06:14 | passed |
| Wed 28 May | 18:40 | passed |
| Fri 27 Jun | 08:08 | passed |
| Sun 27 Jul | 22:41 | passed |
| Mon 25 Aug | 14:12 | passed |
| Wed 24 Sep | 06:13 | passed |
| Fri 24 Oct | 21:56 | passed |
| Sat 22 Nov | 12:32 | passed |
| Mon 22 Dec | 01:35 | 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 2014
No eclipse data for 2014.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in December 2014?
The full moon is on 6 December 2014. Its traditional name is the Cold Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in December 2014?
The new moon is on 22 December 2014. 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.