Sat · 17 OctMoon 38%Field Kp 2.7 · quietQuote · Will Durant, on AristotleRiddle of the daySky tonightHow today feels →
Moon calendar · This month’s full moon, 9 March 2020

Moon calendar: March 2020

In March 2020 the full moon falls on 9 Mar (the Worm Moon) and the new moon on 24 Mar. Every day below shows the Moon’s shape and how much of it is lit, with exact phase times underneath.

Key facts · March 2020
  • 2 Mar, 21:57 Vilnius time: first quarter.
  • 9 Mar, 19:47 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Worm Moon.
  • 16 Mar, 11:34 Vilnius time: last quarter.
  • 24 Mar, 11:28 Vilnius time: new moon.
  • During March 2020 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
  • The next full moon after this month is on 8 April 2020 (April 2020).
Moon calendar

March 2020

Illumination at noon, Europe/Vilnius

Moon phase times, March 2020

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

DatePhaseEurope/VilniusUTC
Mon 2 MarFirst quarter21:5719:57
Mon 9 MarFull moon · Worm Moon19:4717:47
Mon 16 MarLast quarter11:3409:34
Tue 24 MarNew moon11:2809:28

The sky: March 2020

Planets and sky events this month, as seen in London. The Moon's phases are in the calendar above.

Planets visible (mid-month)

Events

Wed 18 MarThe Moon near MarsAbout 0.8° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon.
Wed 18 MarThe Moon near JupiterAbout 1.5° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon.
Thu 19 MarThe Moon near SaturnAbout 2.1° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon.
Fri 20 MarMars and Jupiter togetherOnly 0.7° apart: both fit in a binocular field.
Sat 21 MarThe Moon near MercuryAbout 3.4° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night.
Tue 24 MarMercury farthest from the Sun28° in the morning sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see.
Tue 24 MarVenus farthest from the Sun46° in the evening sky. Look low in the west after sunset.
Tue 31 MarMars and Saturn togetherOnly 0.9° apart: both fit in a binocular field.

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 2020

DateTime (UTC)Traditional name
Fri 10 Jan19:21Wolf Moonpassed
Sun 9 Feb07:33Snow Moonpassed
Mon 9 Mar17:47Worm Moonpassed
Wed 8 Apr02:34Pink Moonpassed
Thu 7 May10:45Flower Moonpassed
Fri 5 Jun19:12Strawberry Moonpassed
Sun 5 Jul04:44Buck Moonpassed
Mon 3 Aug15:58Sturgeon Moonpassed
Wed 2 Sep05:22Harvest Moonpassed
Fri 2 Oct21:05Hunter’s Moonpassed
Sat 31 Oct14:49Blue Moonpassed
Mon 30 Nov09:29Beaver Moonpassed
Wed 30 Dec03:28Cold Moonpassed

New moon dates 2020

DateTime (UTC)
Fri 24 Jan21:42passed
Sun 23 Feb15:31passed
Tue 24 Mar09:28passed
Thu 23 Apr02:25passed
Fri 22 May17:38passed
Sun 21 Jun06:41passed
Mon 20 Jul17:32passed
Wed 19 Aug02:41passed
Thu 17 Sep11:00passed
Fri 16 Oct19:30passed
Sun 15 Nov05:07passed
Mon 14 Dec16:16passed

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 2020

No eclipse data for 2020.

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 March 2020?

The full moon is on 9 March 2020. Its traditional name is the Worm Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.

When is the new moon in March 2020?

The new moon is on 24 March 2020. 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

See how today feels as a whole

Open the wellbeing index →
Journal

What you should know, before others do

Weekly insights. One article. One practice. No noise.