- 6 Dec, 11:33 Vilnius time: first quarter.
- 14 Dec, 15:49 Vilnius time: full moon, traditionally the Cold Moon.
- 22 Dec, 02:06 Vilnius time: last quarter.
- 28 Dec, 18:56 Vilnius time: new moon.
- During December 2073 the Moon passes through all eight phases. One full cycle takes about 29.5 days.
- The next full moon after this month is on 13 January 2074 (January 2074).
Moon phase times, December 2073
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 6 Dec | First quarter | 11:33 | 09:33 |
| Thu 14 Dec | Full moon · Cold Moon | 15:49 | 13:49 |
| Fri 22 Dec | Last quarter | 02:06 | 00:06 |
| Thu 28 Dec | New moon | 18:56 | 16:56 |
The sky: December 2073
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 99% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Mon 18 Dec | The Moon near Jupiter | About 0.7° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Wed 20 Dec | The Moon near Mars | About 1.1° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Thu 21 Dec | Ursids meteor shower peak | Up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 50% lit and will hide some fainter meteors. |
| Tue 26 Dec | The Moon near Saturn | About 3.0° apart. Look for Saturn 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 2073
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 23 Jan | 20:06 | Wolf Moon | next |
| Wed 22 Feb | 07:27 | Snow Moon | |
| Thu 23 Mar | 17:18 | Worm Moon | |
| Sat 22 Apr | 01:55 | Pink Moon | |
| Sun 21 May | 10:03 | Flower Moon | |
| Mon 19 Jun | 18:45 | Strawberry Moon | |
| Wed 19 Jul | 05:05 | Buck Moon | |
| Thu 17 Aug | 17:46 | Sturgeon Moon | |
| Sat 16 Sep | 08:53 | Harvest Moon | |
| Mon 16 Oct | 01:55 | Hunter’s Moon | |
| Tue 14 Nov | 19:55 | Beaver Moon | |
| Thu 14 Dec | 13:49 | Cold Moon |
New moon dates 2073
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 8 Jan | 08:12 | next |
| Tue 7 Feb | 01:41 | |
| Wed 8 Mar | 20:16 | |
| Fri 7 Apr | 14:14 | |
| Sun 7 May | 06:16 | |
| Mon 5 Jun | 19:52 | |
| Wed 5 Jul | 07:17 | |
| Thu 3 Aug | 17:05 | |
| Sat 2 Sep | 01:53 | |
| Sun 1 Oct | 10:22 | |
| Mon 30 Oct | 19:13 | |
| Wed 29 Nov | 05:12 | |
| Thu 28 Dec | 16:56 |
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 2073
No eclipse data for 2073.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Questions people ask
When is the full moon in December 2073?
The full moon is on 14 December 2073. Its traditional name is the Cold Moon. The exact time is in the table on this page.
When is the new moon in December 2073?
The new moon is on 28 December 2073. 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.