Moon Phase Today

Reading the phase

The moon takes about 29.5 days to go from one new moon to the next. It is not making its own light — half of it is always lit by the sun, and the phase is simply how much of that lit half is turned toward us.

Waxing means the lit part is growing, from new moon toward full. Waning means it is shrinking, from full back toward new. The eight names in common use are new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter and waning crescent.

Everyone on Earth sees the same phase at the same moment. What changes with where you stand is the local clock time of that moment, and the orientation: below the equator the lit side appears on the opposite limb, so this page mirrors the picture for southern-hemisphere visitors.

Moon, sun and tides

Around the new and full moon the sun and moon pull in line with each other, and the gap between high and low water tends to be at its largest — spring tides. Near the quarter moons the two pulls partly cancel and the range tends to be smallest — neap tides.

That is a tendency, not a timetable. Local geography, weather and the shape of the coast all move real water levels around, so the biggest tide of a cycle does not necessarily land on the exact hour of the full moon. For an actual place, read a real prediction: tide times and charts.

For the other half of the sky, see sunrise and sunset times for your city — the moon is easiest to spot when it is up and the sun is not.

Moon phase FAQ

What is the moon phase today? As of the last update the moon was a waning gibbous, about 99% illuminated and 15.9 days into its roughly 29.5-day cycle. The page recalculates this in your browser the moment you open it, so the figure you see is for right now.

When is the next full moon? The next full moon is August 28, 2026 at 04:18 UTC. That is a single instant worldwide — only the local clock reading changes, so the page converts it to your own time zone.

Is the moon phase the same everywhere in the world? Yes. Everyone sees the same phase at the same moment. Two things do change with location: the local clock time of that instant, and the way the moon appears rotated — in the southern hemisphere the lit side shows on the opposite limb, which is why this page flips the picture below the equator.

What does moon age mean? How long it has been since the last new moon, in days. A full cycle averages about 29.5 days, so an age near 0 is a new moon, near 7.4 a first quarter, near 14.8 a full moon and near 22 a last quarter.

How accurate are these times? The phase instants are computed with the standard Meeus method, which is accurate to well under a minute. Moonrise and moonset are calculated for the coordinates shown and are typically within a couple of minutes; hills, buildings and elevation shift what you actually see.

Does the moon phase affect the tides? It contributes. Around new and full moons the sun and moon line up and the difference between high and low water tends to be larger — spring tides; near the quarter moons it tends to be smaller — neap tides. Local conditions matter too, so the biggest tides do not always fall exactly on the phase, and you should read a real tide prediction for a specific place.