Moon Phase Today
Tonight the Moon is a first quarter. About 43% of its disc is illuminated, and it is 6.7 days into its roughly 29.5-day cycle. The panel below updates live — see the exact phase right now, plus a calendar of upcoming phases.
First Quarter
Illumination: 43% · Moon age: 6.7 days · Waxing
Next full moon: Sunday, October 25, 2026
Next new moon: Monday, November 9, 2026
Updated live in your browser.
This month's moon phases
Key phase dates for the current month, computed automatically:
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The eight moon phases, explained
New Moon
The Moon sits between Earth and the Sun, so the side facing us is dark. This is the start of the lunar cycle — and the best time for stargazing, with no moonlight washing out faint stars.
Waxing Crescent
A sliver of the Moon becomes visible after sunset, growing a little each evening. "Waxing" simply means the lit portion is getting bigger.
First Quarter
Half the Moon’s face is lit. Despite the name, this is the quarter point of the cycle — a great time to observe craters along the terminator, the line between light and dark.
Waxing Gibbous
More than half lit and swelling toward full. "Gibbous" comes from the Latin for humpbacked — the Moon looks full but slightly lopsided.
Full Moon
The entire face is illuminated as Earth sits between the Sun and Moon. Full moons rise around sunset and are up all night.
Waning Gibbous
The light begins to shrink after full. "Waning" means decreasing — the Moon now rises later each night.
Last Quarter
Half lit again, but the opposite half from First Quarter. It rises around midnight and is high at dawn.
Waning Crescent
A thinning sliver visible before sunrise, shrinking back toward the next new Moon and completing the roughly 29.5-day cycle.
Frequently asked questions
What is the moon phase tonight?
The panel at the top of this page shows tonight’s phase, updated live in your browser — including the phase name, what percentage of the Moon is illuminated, and how many days old the Moon is in its cycle.
How long is a full lunar cycle?
About 29.53 days — one synodic month. That is the time it takes the Moon to return to the same phase, for example from one full Moon to the next.
When is the next full moon?
The date shown above updates automatically. Full moons fall roughly every 29.5 days, so the wait is never longer than about a month.
Why does the Moon have phases at all?
The Moon doesn’t produce its own light — we see sunlight reflecting off it. As the Moon orbits Earth, the angle between the Sun, Earth, and Moon changes, so we see more or less of its sunlit half. That changing view is what we call phases.
Can a month have two full moons?
Yes — the second full Moon in a calendar month is traditionally called a Blue Moon. It happens roughly every two to three years because the lunar cycle (29.5 days) is slightly shorter than most calendar months.
Does the moon phase affect tides?
Yes. Tides are strongest around the new and full Moon, when the Sun and Moon pull in the same direction — these are called spring tides. Around the quarter phases, when they pull at right angles, tides are weakest (neap tides).