- 2 Dec, 03:40 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Cold Moon.
- 9 Dec, 07:39 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 16 Dec, 04:06 Vilnius time: new moon.
- 23 Dec, 23:44 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 31 Dec, 18:48 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Cold Moon.
- During December 2028 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 2029 (January 2029).
Moon phase times, December 2028
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 2 Dec | Full moon · Cold Moon | 03:40 | 01:40 |
| Sat 9 Dec | Last quarter | 07:39 | 05:39 |
| Sat 16 Dec | New moon | 04:06 | 02:06 |
| Sat 23 Dec | First quarter | 23:44 | 21:44 |
| Sun 31 Dec | Full moon · Cold Moon | 18:48 | 16:48 |
The sky: December 2028
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 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. |
| Thu 14 Dec | The Moon near Venus | About 5.0° apart. Look for Venus next to the Moon. |
| Thu 21 Dec | Ursids meteor shower peak | Up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 33% lit and will hide some fainter meteors. |
| Sun 31 Dec | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 20° in the evening sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see. |
| Sun 31 Dec | Lunar eclipse | Visible from Lithuania. |
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 2028
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 12 Jan | 04:03 | Wolf Moon | next |
| Thu 10 Feb | 15:03 | Snow Moon | |
| Sat 11 Mar | 01:06 | Worm Moon | |
| Sun 9 Apr | 10:26 | Pink Moon | |
| Mon 8 May | 19:48 | Flower Moon | |
| Wed 7 Jun | 06:08 | Strawberry Moon | |
| Thu 6 Jul | 18:10 | Buck Moon | |
| Sat 5 Aug | 08:09 | Sturgeon Moon | |
| Mon 4 Sep | 23:47 | Harvest Moon | |
| Tue 3 Oct | 16:25 | Hunter’s Moon | |
| Thu 2 Nov | 09:17 | Beaver Moon | |
| Sat 2 Dec | 01:40 | Cold Moon | |
| Sun 31 Dec | 16:48 | Blue Moon |
New moon dates 2028
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 26 Jan | 15:12 | next |
| Fri 25 Feb | 10:37 | |
| Sun 26 Mar | 04:31 | |
| Mon 24 Apr | 19:47 | |
| Wed 24 May | 08:16 | |
| Thu 22 Jun | 18:27 | |
| Sat 22 Jul | 03:01 | |
| Sun 20 Aug | 10:43 | |
| Mon 18 Sep | 18:23 | |
| Wed 18 Oct | 02:56 | |
| Thu 16 Nov | 13:18 | |
| Sat 16 Dec | 02:06 |
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 2028
| Date | Eclipse | Greatest eclipse (UTC) | From Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 January 2028 | Partial lunar eclipse | 04:13 | visible |
| 26 January 2028 | Annular solar eclipse | 15:08 | partly visible |
| 6 July 2028 | Partial lunar eclipse | 18:20 | visible |
| 22 July 2028 | Total solar eclipse | 02:56 | not visible |
| 31 December 2028 | Total lunar eclipse | 16:52 | visible |
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in December 2028?
The full moon is on 2 December 2028, 31 December 2028. Its traditional name is the Cold Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in December 2028?
The new moon is on 16 December 2028. 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.