- 5 Dec, 09:56 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 13 Dec, 11:55 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Cold Moon.
- 20 Dec, 16:43 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 27 Dec, 12:39 Vilnius time: new moon.
- During December 2046 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 12 January 2047 (January 2047).
Moon phase times, December 2046
The four principal phases are moments, not whole days. Times are given in UTC and in Europe/Vilnius time.
| Date | Phase | Europe/Vilnius | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 5 Dec | First quarter | 09:56 | 07:56 |
| Thu 13 Dec | Full moon · Cold Moon | 11:55 | 09:55 |
| Thu 20 Dec | Last quarter | 16:43 | 14:43 |
| Thu 27 Dec | New moon | 12:39 | 10:39 |
The sky: December 2046
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 1 Dec | The Moon near Mars | About 1.9° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Thu 13 Dec | Geminids meteor shower peak | Up to 150 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 100% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Fri 21 Dec | Ursids meteor shower peak | Up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 30% lit and will hide some fainter meteors. |
| Fri 28 Dec | The Moon near Venus | About 1.4° apart, but Venus is not visible that night. |
| Mon 31 Dec | The Moon near Mars | About 3.7° 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 2046
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 22 Jan | 12:51 | Wolf Moon | next |
| Wed 21 Feb | 23:44 | Snow Moon | |
| Thu 22 Mar | 09:27 | Worm Moon | |
| Fri 20 Apr | 18:21 | Pink Moon | |
| Sun 20 May | 03:15 | Flower Moon | |
| Mon 18 Jun | 13:10 | Strawberry Moon | |
| Wed 18 Jul | 00:55 | Buck Moon | |
| Thu 16 Aug | 14:50 | Sturgeon Moon | |
| Sat 15 Sep | 06:39 | Harvest Moon | |
| Mon 15 Oct | 23:41 | Hunter’s Moon | |
| Tue 13 Nov | 17:04 | Beaver Moon | |
| Thu 13 Dec | 09:55 | Cold Moon |
New moon dates 2046
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 7 Jan | 04:24 | next |
| Tue 6 Feb | 23:09 | |
| Wed 7 Mar | 18:15 | |
| Fri 6 Apr | 11:51 | |
| Sun 6 May | 02:56 | |
| Mon 4 Jun | 15:22 | |
| Wed 4 Jul | 01:38 | |
| Thu 2 Aug | 10:25 | |
| Fri 31 Aug | 18:25 | |
| Sun 30 Sep | 02:25 | |
| Mon 29 Oct | 11:17 | |
| Tue 27 Nov | 21:50 | |
| Thu 27 Dec | 10:39 |
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 2046
No eclipse data for 2046.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in December 2046?
The full moon is on 13 December 2046. Its traditional name is the Cold Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in December 2046?
The new moon is on 27 December 2046. 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.