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Moon calendar · This month’s full moon, 7 January 2023

Moon calendar: January 2023

In January 2023 the full moon falls on 7 Jan (the Wolf Moon) and the new moon on 21 Jan. Every day below shows the Moon’s shape and how much of it is lit, with exact phase times underneath.

Key facts · January 2023
  • 7 Jan, 01:08 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Wolf Moon.
  • 15 Jan, 04:10 Vilnius time: last quarter.
  • 21 Jan, 22:53 Vilnius time: new moon.
  • 28 Jan, 17:18 Vilnius time: first quarter.
  • During January 2023 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 February 2023 (February 2023).
Moon calendar

January 2023

Illumination at noon, Europe/Vilnius

Moon phase times, January 2023

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

DatePhaseEurope/VilniusUTC
Sat 7 JanFull moon · Wolf Moon01:0823:08
Sun 15 JanLast quarter04:1002:10
Sat 21 JanNew moon22:5320:53
Sat 28 JanFirst quarter17:1815:18

The sky: January 2023

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 3 JanQuadrantids meteor shower peakUp to 80 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 91% lit: only the brightest meteors will show.
Tue 3 JanThe Moon near MarsAbout 0.5° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon.
Mon 23 JanVenus and Saturn togetherOnly 0.4° apart: both fit in a binocular field.
Mon 23 JanThe Moon near VenusAbout 3.2° apart. Look for Venus next to the Moon.
Mon 23 JanThe Moon near SaturnAbout 3.6° apart. Look for Saturn next to the Moon.
Thu 26 JanThe Moon near JupiterAbout 1.6° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon.
Mon 30 JanMercury farthest from the Sun25° in the morning sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see.
Tue 31 JanThe Moon near MarsAbout 0.3° apart. Look for Mars 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 2023

DateTime (UTC)Traditional name
Sat 7 Jan23:08Wolf Moonpassed
Sun 5 Feb18:28Snow Moonpassed
Tue 7 Mar12:40Worm Moonpassed
Thu 6 Apr04:34Pink Moonpassed
Fri 5 May17:34Flower Moonpassed
Sun 4 Jun03:41Strawberry Moonpassed
Mon 3 Jul11:38Buck Moonpassed
Tue 1 Aug18:31Sturgeon Moonpassed
Thu 31 Aug01:35Blue Moonpassed
Fri 29 Sep09:57Harvest Moonpassed
Sat 28 Oct20:24Hunter’s Moonpassed
Mon 27 Nov09:16Beaver Moonpassed
Wed 27 Dec00:33Cold Moonpassed

New moon dates 2023

DateTime (UTC)
Sat 21 Jan20:53passed
Mon 20 Feb07:05passed
Tue 21 Mar17:23passed
Thu 20 Apr04:12passed
Fri 19 May15:53passed
Sun 18 Jun04:37passed
Mon 17 Jul18:31passed
Wed 16 Aug09:38passed
Fri 15 Sep01:39passed
Sat 14 Oct17:55passed
Mon 13 Nov09:27passed
Wed 13 Dec23:32passed

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 2023

No eclipse data for 2023.

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 January 2023?

The full moon is on 7 January 2023. Its traditional name is the Wolf Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.

When is the new moon in January 2023?

The new moon is on 21 January 2023. 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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