Use this calendar to follow the changing phases of the Moon.
It’s best to view the Moon through your telescope or binoculars in the week preceding new moon
or in the week following new moon as deep shadows outline craters and other topographical
features during this time.
Today
23 days until next blue moon
last quarter
23 days until next full moon
23 until next blue moon
584 until next lunar eclipse
244 until next solar eclipse
Moon phase data by US Naval Observatory. Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC Emeritus. Illuminations based on Moon at midday, UT +10hrs. Note: solar eclipses may not be visible from Australia.
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
- Sun
-
7
mon, aug 7
waning gibbous
65%
-
8
tue, aug 8
last quarter
54%
-
9
wed, aug 9
waning crescent
43%
-
10
thu, aug 10
waning crescent
33%
-
11
fri, aug 11
waning crescent
24%
-
12
sat, aug 12
waning crescent
16%
-
13
sun, aug 13
waning crescent
10%
-
14
mon, aug 14
waning crescent
5%
-
15
tue, aug 15
waning crescent
2%
-
16
wed, aug 16
new moon
0%
-
17
thu, aug 17
waxing crescent
1%
-
18
fri, aug 18
waxing crescent
3%
-
19
sat, aug 19
waxing crescent
6%
-
20
sun, aug 20
waxing crescent
12%
-
21
mon, aug 21
waxing crescent
19%
-
22
tue, aug 22
waxing crescent
27%
-
23
wed, aug 23
waxing crescent
36%
-
24
thu, aug 24
first quarter
47%
-
25
fri, aug 25
waxing gibbous
57%
-
26
sat, aug 26
waxing gibbous
68%
-
27
sun, aug 27
waxing gibbous
78%
-
28
mon, aug 28
waxing gibbous
87%
-
29
tue, aug 29
waxing gibbous
94%
-
30
wed, aug 30
waxing gibbous
98%
-
31
thu, aug 31
blue moon
100%
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
- Sun
-
1
fri, sep 1
waning gibbous
98%
-
2
sat, sep 2
waning gibbous
94%
-
3
sun, sep 3
waning gibbous
87%
-
4
mon, sep 4
waning gibbous
79%
-
5
tue, sep 5
waning gibbous
69%
-
6
wed, sep 6
waning gibbous
59%
-
7
thu, sep 7
last quarter
49%
-
8
fri, sep 8
waning crescent
39%
-
9
sat, sep 9
waning crescent
29%
-
10
sun, sep 10
waning crescent
21%
-
11
mon, sep 11
waning crescent
14%
-
12
tue, sep 12
waning crescent
8%
-
13
wed, sep 13
waning crescent
4%
-
14
thu, sep 14
waning crescent
1%
-
15
fri, sep 15
new moon
0%
-
16
sat, sep 16
waxing crescent
1%
-
17
sun, sep 17
waxing crescent
4%
-
18
mon, sep 18
waxing crescent
8%
-
19
tue, sep 19
waxing crescent
15%
-
20
wed, sep 20
waxing crescent
23%
-
21
thu, sep 21
waxing crescent
32%
-
22
fri, sep 22
waxing crescent
42%
-
23
sat, sep 23
first quarter
53%
-
24
sun, sep 24
waxing gibbous
64%
-
25
mon, sep 25
waxing gibbous
75%
-
26
tue, sep 26
waxing gibbous
84%
-
27
wed, sep 27
waxing gibbous
92%
-
28
thu, sep 28
waxing gibbous
97%
-
29
fri, sep 29
full moon
100%
-
30
sat, sep 30
waning gibbous
99%
For more Moon phase information, see the monthly sky charts on our blog and in the Australasian Sky Guide, which also includes daily Sydney high and low tide times.
Did you know?
- On the Moon a day lasts for two weeks and a night lasts for two weeks. Daytime temperatures on the surface reach over 100 degrees Celsius and at night the surface temperature drops below -170 degrees Celsius.
- From Earth we see just one side of the Moon. From the Sun you would see the Moon rotate once in 29.5 days as it orbits Earth. There is no such thing as the dark side of the Moon. Sorry Pink Floyd!
- We know the Moon raises tides in the oceans of Earth. As the tidal bulge is dragged around Earth by the Moon friction between the water and land slows Earth’s rate of spin. The energy lost by Earth is gained by the Moon resulting in the Moon receding from Earth by 3.8 centimetres every year.
- Although only one side of the Moon always faces Earth we can see over half of its surface. Small apparent wobbles, or librations, allow us to peek over the poles and around the edges over the course of the lunar months to see 59% of the Moon’s surface.
- Theoretical modelling shows that the Moon is essential for keeping Earth’s spin axis upright and stable against tipping over. But it’s hard to prove this experimentally.
- The Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon, but it is also 400 times further away from Earth (at the moment). This cosmic coincidence means the Moon just fully covers the Sun. This we call a total solar eclipse.
- Hermite crater close to the Moon’s north pole has the coldest measured temperature in the solar system. At -247 degrees Celsius it is colder than Pluto.
- The Moon is 384,400 kilometres from Earth on average. Light travels at (almost) 300,000 kilometres per second . Light takes 1.1 seconds to travel from the Moon to your eye. You always see the Moon as it was 1.1 seconds ago.
- The force of gravitational attraction on the Moon is only 17% of that on Earth. So while your mass (measured in kilograms) would be the same on the Moon, if you stood on a set of scales your weight (measured in Newtons) would be much less.
- We know the Moon raises tides in the oceans of Earth. But did you know the surface of the Earth also moves by up to 400 millimetres per day?
- How many people went to the Moon? Sadly, some say none. Most say 12. But there were…12 and a bit! Some ashes of the prominent astronomer Eugene Shoemaker were carried aboard the Lunar Prospector space probe which was deliberately crashed into the Moon on 31 July 1999.
- The Moon is prominent in the lore of many indigenous cultures around the world. Have you contacted your local community to learn theirs?