Moon phase calculator

Moon phase for any date and time: the phase name, percentage illuminated and moon age in days, with the dates of the next new and full moons.

업데이트 검증한 예제: 5

= 2026-09-29
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Phase
Waning gibbous
Phase: Waning gibbous
Illuminated
87.7%
Age (days since new moon)
18.73days
Waxing or waning
Waning
Days to next new moon
10.78days
Days to next full moon
26.30days
Next new moon
Sat 10 Oct 2026 15:50 (UTC+00:00)
Next full moon
Mon 26 Oct 2026 04:11 (UTC+00:00)
Phase names use a 12-hour window either side of the exact new, quarter and full moon; calendars that label only the day of the phase can differ by a day.

At 21:00 on Tue 29 Sep 2026, UTC time, the Moon's phase is waning gibbous, 88% lit and 18.7 days past new. The next full moon is Mon 26 Oct 2026 04:11 (UTC+00:00) and the next new moon Sat 10 Oct 2026 15:50 (UTC+00:00).

Waning gibbous on Tue 29 Sep 2026

87.7% lit

Illumination through this lunation (idealised)

0%25%50%75%100%0510152025Days since new moonIlluminatedFirst quarterFullLast quarterNow
계산 방법 S
  1. Instant as a Julian Day

    JD=179071560086400+2440587.5=2,461,313.37500JD = \frac{1790715600}{86400} + 2440587.5 = 2{,}461{,}313.37500
  2. Previous true new moon

    k=330,JDE0=2451550.09766+29.530588861 k+⋯+periodic termsk = 330,\quad JDE_0 = 2451550.09766 + 29.530588861\,k + \dots + \text{periodic terms}

    New moon at Fri 11 Sep 2026 03:26 (UTC+00:00), so the Moon is 18.73 days old.

    Meeus ch. 49 series with all periodic and planetary terms; ΔT = TT − UT taken as 69 s. All 50 USNO phase times for 2026 are matched within 0.8 minutes.

  3. Phase angle and illuminated fraction

    i=−41.030∘,k=1+cos⁡i2=0.8772i = -41.030^\circ,\qquad k = \frac{1 + \cos i}{2} = 0.8772

    Meeus eq. 48.4 (low-precision phase angle). The idealised curve in the chart ignores the Moon's elliptical orbit.

Moon phase calculator 소개

The Moon's phase follows from two things: the time since the last true new moon (its age) and the phase angle between the Sun and Earth as seen from the Moon, which sets the lit fraction k = (1 + cos i)/2. New, quarter and full moon instants come from Jean Meeus's lunar series, which reproduce all 50 US Naval Observatory phase times for 2026 to within 0.8 minutes.

Observers, photographers and anglers use it to plan around dark skies or a full moon. At 12:00 UT on 15 January 2026 the Moon was a waning crescent, 10% lit and 26.43 days old, with the next new moon 3.33 days away.

A phase name covers 12 hours either side of the exact instant, so a calendar that labels whole days can differ by one day. Times are shown in the zone you pick, and the Southern Hemisphere option mirrors which side of the disk is lit.

계산 예제

Full moon of the 3 March 2026 lunar eclipse

Date
2026-03-03
시간
12:00
Time zone
UTC
Phase
Full moon
Illuminated
100.0%
Age (days since new moon)
14.00 days

검증 출처: USNO API: full moon 2026-03-03 11:38 UT, 100% illuminated at noon; previous new moon 2026-02-17 12:01 UT → age 13.999 days (Python datetime)

Waning crescent in mid-January 2026

Date
2026-01-15
시간
12:00
Time zone
UTC
Phase
Waning crescent
Illuminated
10.0%
Age (days since new moon)
26.43 days
Days to next new moon
3.33 days
Days to next full moon
17.42 days

검증 출처: USNO API: 10% illuminated at 12:00 UT; new moons 2025-12-20 01:43 and 2026-01-18 19:52 UT, full moon 2026-02-01 22:09 UT (differences by Python datetime)

Hours before the 12 August 2026 solar eclipse (new moon)

Date
2026-08-12
시간
12:00
Time zone
UTC
Phase
New moon
Illuminated
0.0%
Age (days since new moon)
29.10 days

검증 출처: USNO API: new moon 2026-08-12 17:37 UT, 0% illuminated; previous new moon 2026-07-14 09:43 UT → age 29.095 days

Just after first quarter

Date
2026-01-26
시간
12:00
Time zone
UTC
Phase
First quarter
Illuminated
54.0%
Age (days since new moon)
7.67 days

검증 출처: USNO API: first quarter 2026-01-26 04:47 UT (7.2 h earlier), 54% illuminated at noon; new moon 2026-01-18 19:52 UT → age 7.672 days

자주 묻는 질문

How long is a lunar cycle?

The mean synodic month, from one new moon to the next, is 29.530589 days, about 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes. Single lunations vary because the Moon's orbit is elliptical: the same Meeus series used here gives lengths between 29.27 and 29.83 days for every lunation from 1900 to 2100.

Why do moon calendars give different dates for the full moon?

The full moon is a single instant, so its calendar date depends on the time zone. The full moon of December 2026 is at 01:28 UT on 24 December (USNO), which is still 23 December at 20:28 in New York. Enter your own time zone to see the date and time that apply where you are.

What is a blue moon?

The common definition is the second full moon in one calendar month, which happens because the 29.5-day lunar cycle is shorter than most months. 31 May 2026 was one: USNO lists full moons at 17:23 UT on 1 May and 08:45 UT on 31 May. The older almanac definition is the third of four full moons in an astronomical season.

Is the Moon waxing or waning?

It is waxing from new moon to full moon, when the lit fraction grows each night, and waning from full back to new. Each half lasts about 14.8 days on average. In the Northern Hemisphere a waxing moon is lit on the right; south of the equator the picture is mirrored, so it is lit on the left.

How much of the Moon is lit at first quarter?

About 50%. The name refers to the Moon having travelled a quarter of its orbit since new moon, not to the lit area. The lit fraction passes 50% within hours of first and last quarter: at 12:00 UT on 26 January 2026, 7.2 hours after first quarter, it was 54% (USNO).

“Moon phase calculator”의 정확도는 어느 정도인가요?

정확도는 입력값과 계산 방법의 가정에 따라 달라집니다. 십진 연산은 유효숫자 50자리를 사용하지만, 추정값·수치해석 방법·원본 데이터의 정밀도는 더 낮을 수 있습니다. 표시값을 반올림해도 이러한 한계는 사라지지 않습니다. 독립적인 출처의 풀이와 대조한 계산 예시: 5. 예를 들어 “Full moon of the 3 March 2026 lunar eclipse”은 USNO API: full moon 2026-03-03 11:38 UT, 100% illuminated at noon; previous new moon 2026-02-17 12:01 UT → age 13.999 days (Python datetime)와 대조해 확인합니다.

이 계산 방법의 출처는 무엇인가요?

J. Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed. (1998), ch. 48 (illuminated fraction) and ch. 49 (phases of the Moon); US Naval Observatory — Phases of the Moon (cross-check).

이 계산기 소개

k=1+cos⁡i2,i≈180∘−D−6.289∘sin⁡M′+2.100∘sin⁡M−…k = \frac{1 + \cos i}{2},\quad i \approx 180^\circ - D - 6.289^\circ \sin M' + 2.100^\circ \sin M - \dots

출처

  1. J. Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed. (1998), ch. 48 (illuminated fraction) and ch. 49 (phases of the Moon)
  2. US Naval Observatory — Phases of the Moon (cross-check)

출처와 대조하여 검증

이 계산기에는 독립적인 출처에서 답을 얻은 계산 예제가 5개 있습니다. 테스트 모음에서 실행되며 여기에서도 실행할 수 있습니다.

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