Moon Phase Calendar 2026–2027 With Exact Times

The four main phases

The Moon's appearance changes as it orbits Earth and we see different portions of its sunlit half. The U.S. Naval Observatory publishes the exact times of four main phases:

• New Moon: the Moon is roughly between Earth and Sun and its lit side faces away from us. It is not visible, and evening skies are darkest around this time.
• First quarter: half the disk is lit, on the right as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. Visible in the afternoon and evening; sets around midnight.
• Full Moon: the whole disk is lit. Rises around sunset and stays up all night.
• Last quarter: half lit, on the left from the Northern Hemisphere. Rises around midnight, visible into the morning.

Between them are the crescent and gibbous phases. NASA's Moon phases page explains the geometry.

Upcoming phases

How long between phases

A full cycle from one New Moon to the next averages about 29.5 days, and it varies by several hours from month to month because the Moon's orbit is elliptical. You can see this in the USNO times: for example, the New Moons of November 9 and December 9, 2026 are just under 29.75 days apart.

Planning with the Moon

• Meteor showers: the less Moon, the more meteors you'll see. Check the meteor shower calendar, which shows Moon brightness at each peak.
• Stargazing and the Milky Way: aim for the few days either side of New Moon, after the end of astronomical twilight. Our dark sky calculator gives the time.
• Moon watching: the days around first quarter are a favorite for binoculars and small telescopes, because shadows along the line between light and dark show craters in relief.
• Night hikes: the nights around Full Moon give the most natural light.

Time zones

USNO gives times in Universal Time (UT). The calculator converts to whatever UTC offset you enter: for example −5 for U.S. Eastern Standard Time, −4 for Eastern Daylight Time, 0 for the UK in winter and +1 in summer. Remember to change it if daylight saving time applies on the date you're checking.

Percentage lit

When you pick a date, the tool estimates how much of the Moon's face is lit at 9 p.m. your time, using how far the Moon is through its cycle between two USNO New Moon times. It is an approximation, typically within a few percent of USNO's figure.

Read more in Moon phases explained.

Common questions

When is the next Full Moon?

November 24, 2026 at 14:53 UT (7:53 a.m. MST). The next after that is December 24, 2026 at 01:28 UT, which is the evening of December 23 in U.S. time zones.

When is the next New Moon?

December 9, 2026 at 00:52 UT, which is the evening of December 8 in U.S. time zones.

Why does the date differ from other calendars?

Phases happen at one instant worldwide. Depending on your time zone, that instant can fall on a different calendar date. Enter your UTC offset to see your local date and time.

How accurate is the percentage lit?

We estimate it from the Moon's age between USNO New Moon times. It is usually within a few percent of USNO's own figure, which is fine for planning.