- On 17 October 2026 the moon is a waxing crescent, 42% illuminated.
- The last new moon was on 10 October 2026.
- The next first quarter is on 18 October 2026.
- A lunar month, from one new moon to the next, lasts 29.53 days on average.
- Moon phases are the same everywhere on Earth at the same instant; only the local time and the tilt of the crescent differ.
What is a moon phase?
A moon phase is the shape of the sunlit part of the Moon as seen from Earth. It changes as the Moon orbits the Earth every 29.53 days: from new moon, when the lit side faces away, through first quarter and full moon to last quarter and back. The phase times on this page are computed with the algorithms of Jean Meeus and agree with almanacs to the minute.
Today across the lunar calendars
The next 7 nights
Full moon dates 2026
| Date | Time (UTC) | Traditional name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 3 Jan | 10:02 | Wolf Moon | passed |
| Mon 2 Feb | 22:09 | Snow Moon | passed |
| Tue 3 Mar | 11:37 | Worm Moon | passed |
| Thu 2 Apr | 02:12 | Pink Moon | passed |
| Fri 1 May | 17:23 | Flower Moon | passed |
| Sun 31 May | 08:45 | Blue Moon | passed |
| Tue 30 Jun | 23:56 | Strawberry Moon | passed |
| Wed 29 Jul | 14:35 | Buck Moon | passed |
| Fri 28 Aug | 04:18 | Sturgeon Moon | passed |
| Sat 26 Sep | 16:49 | Harvest Moon | passed |
| Mon 26 Oct | 04:11 | Hunter’s Moon | next |
| Tue 24 Nov | 14:53 | Beaver Moon | |
| Thu 24 Dec | 01:28 | Cold Moon |
New moon dates 2026
| Date | Time (UTC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 18 Jan | 19:52 | passed |
| Tue 17 Feb | 12:01 | passed |
| Thu 19 Mar | 01:23 | passed |
| Fri 17 Apr | 11:51 | passed |
| Sat 16 May | 20:01 | passed |
| Mon 15 Jun | 02:54 | passed |
| Tue 14 Jul | 09:43 | passed |
| Wed 12 Aug | 17:36 | passed |
| Fri 11 Sep | 03:26 | passed |
| Sat 10 Oct | 15:50 | passed |
| Mon 9 Nov | 07:02 | next |
| Wed 9 Dec | 00:51 |
The eight moon phases explained
Four principal phases are exact instants; the four in between are the days that connect them.
The waning moon is traditionally a time for finishing
Moonrise and moonset today
A waxing crescent rises in the morning and sets after sunset; look west in the evening. Times are local to the chosen city, for the moment the Moon’s upper edge meets the horizon.
Eclipses
| Date | Eclipse | Greatest eclipse (UTC) | From Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 February 2027 | Annular solar eclipse | 16:00 | not visible |
| 20 February 2027 | Penumbral lunar eclipse | 23:13 | visible |
| 18 July 2027 | Penumbral lunar eclipse | 16:03 | not visible |
| 2 August 2027 | Total solar eclipse | 10:07 | visible |
| 17 August 2027 | Penumbral lunar eclipse | 07:14 | not visible |
Questions people ask
What phase is the moon in today?
The phase and illumination for today are in the first line of this page; they are calculated for the current time in the Europe/Vilnius zone.
When is the next full moon?
The next phases strip shows the date and time of the next full moon, and the table below lists every full moon of the year.
What is a moon day?
A moon day counts the days since the last new moon: the first moon day starts at the new moon, the fifteenth around the full moon. The count on this page is the whole number of days since the last new moon plus one.
Is the moon waxing or waning?
Waxing means the lit part is growing (from new moon to full moon); waning means it is shrinking (from full moon to new moon). In the northern hemisphere a waxing moon is lit on the right.
Why does the full moon time differ between sources?
The instant of full moon is the same everywhere; sources differ only in the time zone they print. This page shows UTC in the tables and local time in the strip.
Does the full moon affect sleep?
Several studies found that people fall asleep later and sleep less in the days around the full moon; others found no effect. Where it appears, the difference is small.
How are the phase times calculated?
With the algorithms published by Jean Meeus in Astronomical Algorithms (1998), including the periodic terms, which give the phase instants to about one minute.
- 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.