Moon phase today

How the moon phases work

The moon does not make its own light. What we see is sunlight reflected off the half of the moon that faces the sun. As the moon orbits Earth over roughly 29.5 days, the angle between the sun, Earth and moon changes, so the lit portion we can see grows and shrinks. This gentle cycle is what we call the moon phases.

The cycle begins at the new moon, when the moon sits between Earth and the sun and its lit side faces away from us, leaving the sky dark. Over the following days a thin waxing crescent appears and thickens. At first quarter, half of the visible disc is lit. The moon keeps filling out through the waxing gibbous stage until the full moon, when the entire face is bright. It then wanes back through waning gibbous, last quarter and waning crescent before returning to new moon and starting again.

Knowing the phase is useful well beyond curiosity. A full moon floods the landscape with soft light, which is wonderful for a night walk but tricky for astrophotography, where a dark new moon sky reveals far more stars. Anglers, gardeners and stargazers have followed the lunar cycle for centuries, and with SunAndMoon you can see exactly where in the cycle we are today and when the next milestone arrives.

Frequently asked questions

Check moonrise and moonset for a city

The phase is the same worldwide, but moonrise and moonset depend on where you are. Open a city below to see its own moon phase page, with local moonrise, moonset and the next principal phases.

Browse moon phase by city

All 246 cities with a moon page, grouped by region. Each has its own moon phase page with local moonrise, moonset and upcoming phases.

More light tools