Moon phase today
Find out which lunar phase is today. Up-to-date information about the movement of the Moon, a detailed lunar phase calendar, and interesting facts for sky watchers.What is the current lunar phase
The current lunar phase is “Waning Crescent”
Lunar phase calendar for the current month, May 2026
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The Moon looks different because from Earth only the part illuminated by the Sun is visible, while the unlit part is almost invisible against the dark sky. This is the result of its movement around the Earth and which part of the illuminated side is visible to us. The angle at which we observe the illuminated area constantly changes, and that is why different phases occur — from a thin crescent to a full Moon.
Schematic image of the Moon’s motion around the Earth
On the left is the Sun, and on the right are the Earth and the Moon. In the diagram, the Earth is turned toward us with the North Pole, so the Moon orbits the Earth counterclockwise. The illuminated areas are visible in the diagram. In this position, the objects are located as they are at the current moment; their position in the diagram is calculated and displayed in real time. The scales are of course not preserved, otherwise all objects would be shown as dots against a black background.
The main phases are: new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. Between them the Moon gradually changes its illumination.
A new moon is the moment when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, and its illuminated side faces away from us, making it almost invisible in the sky.
About a week after the new moon, the Moon travels part of its orbit around the Earth, and half of its disk is illuminated. At this time the Moon is visible in the evening and at night. The first quarter occurs when the angle Sun–Earth–Moon (the angle between the lines drawn from Earth toward the Sun and toward the Moon) is 90°.
About two weeks after the new moon, the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth relative to the Sun, and its disk is fully illuminated. At this moment the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. At this time the Moon is visible all night and reaches its maximum brightness.
The last quarter is a phase of the Moon when its disk is again half illuminated, but during the waning period. It occurs about three weeks after the new moon. At this moment the Moon is in quadrature with the Sun, meaning the angle Sun–Earth–Moon is 90°, but on the opposite side of the orbit compared to the first quarter.
The time of the Moon’s rise and set is directly related to its phase. Each phase corresponds to a specific position of the Moon relative to the Sun, and this determines at what time of day the Moon appears and disappears on the horizon.
- New Moon: The Moon in the sky is located next to the Sun. It rises approximately with the Sun in the morning and sets in the evening. Therefore, it is not visible at night.
- First Quarter: The Moon is positioned at a 90° angle to the Sun. It rises around noon, is visible in the evening, and sets around midnight.
- Full Moon: The Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth relative to the Sun. It rises approximately at sunset, is visible all night, and sets at dawn.
- Last Quarter: The Moon is again at a 90° angle, but on the other side. It rises around midnight, is visible in the morning, and sets around noon.
Times of moonrise and moonset in different phases
| Moon Phases | Average moonrise time | Culmination (highest point in the sky) | Average moonset time |
|---|---|---|---|
New Moon  |
~6:00 | ~12:00 | ~18:00 |
First Quarter  |
~12:00 | ~18:00 | ~0:00 |
Full Moon  |
~18:00 | ~0:00 | ~6:00 |
Last Quarter  |
~0:00 | ~6:00 | ~12:00 |
The lunar cycle is the period of changing Moon phases. It begins with the new moon, goes through the first quarter, full moon, last quarter, and ends with a new new moon.
The full cycle of Moon phases — from new moon to the next new moon — lasts about 29.5 days.
It is the time period in which the Moon completes a full orbit around the Earth relative to the stars.
Its duration is about 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes.
It is the time period between two identical Moon phases, for example, from new moon to the next new moon. It equals the length of the lunar cycle.
During the Moon’s movement, the Earth also shifts along its orbit around the Sun. For the Moon to be in the same position relative to the Sun again and for the phases to repeat, it must travel slightly more than a full orbit around the Earth. Therefore, the synodic month is about 2 days longer than the sidereal month.
Sidereal month of the Moon
Synodic month of the Moon
The tilt of the Moon’s crescent differs at different latitudes because the angle between the plane of the ecliptic and the horizon changes depending on the observer’s location on Earth. At the equator the ecliptic crosses the horizon almost vertically, and the crescent looks more horizontal, like a little boat. At mid-latitudes the ecliptic is tilted, so the crescent appears at an angle. At high latitudes the tilt is even stronger, as the Sun and Moon pass low over the horizon. Thus, the difference in the crescent’s tilt is related to the geometry of observation and the observer’s position on Earth’s surface. In other words, the tilt of the Moon’s crescent changes at different latitudes because we view it from different angles.
Tilt of the Moon’s crescent depending on the observer’s latitude (at moonrise)
| Moon Phases | Northern Hemisphere | Equator | Southern Hemisphere |
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| Waxing Crescent |  |
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| First Quarter | |
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| Last Quarter | |
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| Waning Crescent |  |
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The Moon always shows the same side to the Earth because of the phenomenon of synchronous rotation caused by tidal locking. The Moon rotates around its axis in the same time it takes to make a full orbit around the Earth. This means that during one orbit around the Earth, the Moon rotates once around its axis. As a result, it always shows the same side to the Earth.