The current moon phase for today and tonight is the phase. The moon is now % visible and is . Today the Moon is days old.
The approximate distance from Earth to the Moon is and days left to the next phase ().
Visit also the April 2024 Moon Phase Calendar to see all the daily moon phases for this month.
Current Time: 11.15.
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| Moon Phase | DATE AND TIME |
DATE AND TIME (UTC) |
|---|---|---|
| New Moon | ||
| First Quarter | ||
| Full Moon | ||
| Last Quarter | ||
| New Moon |
This is the first and invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth. The New Moon is only directly visible during a solar eclipse.
First Quarter
A week after new moon comes first quarter, when the Moon is a quarter of the way around its orbit. It is also termed a Half Moon. A First Quarter Moon rises around noon and sets around midnight.
Full Moon
At 100% phase illumination, the day side of the Moon is directly pointed at the night side of the Earth and the Moon is full. A Full Moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise and it looks bigger when it is near the horizon.
Last Quarter
The Moon enters the Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) of its orbit at nearly 23 days old. Only half of it appears to be illuminated. You can see this phase at late night and in the early morning (6 am).
Here are the top 5 things that make the Moon so unique.
1. The Moon is Earth's only permanent natural satellite.
2. Moon dust smells like gunpowder.
3. The Moon keeps the same face pointing toward the Earth.
4. The Moon has no – or just a really thin – atmosphere so there is no weather.
5. The Moon is visible in daylight nearly every day.
No, the moon has no water and has only a very thin and tenuous atmosphere (called an exosphere) so it cannot trap heat or insulate the surface. So, for example, there is no wind to create weather system. The Moon does, in fact, affect the Earth's climate and weather patterns in several subtle ways.
More Moon FactsA "micromoon" is a term used in popular astronomy to describe a full moon or a new moon that occurs when the moon is at or near its apogee, which is the furthest point from Earth in its elliptical orbit. This is the opposite of a "supermoon," which occurs when a full moon or new moon is at or near its perigee, which is the closest point to Earth in its orbit."
More Moon FactsThis is an optical illusion. The Moon looks large shortly after it rises when it's still touching the horizon. This is not the same as a Supermoon.
More Moon FactsIt depends on the time of day. The Moon is very hot in the daytime and very cold at night. The average temperature on the Moon varies from -298 degrees Fahrenheit (-183 degrees Celsius), at night, to 224 degrees Fahrenheit (106 degrees Celsius) during the day.
More Moon FactsThis is the eighth and also the final phase of the Moon. The Moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faces the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective is a thin curve. The Wanning Crescent Moon can be seen from pre-dawn to early afternoon.
More Moon PhasesThis is the second phase of the Moon. It occurs when the illuminated half of the Moon faces mostly away from Earth, with only a tiny portion visible to us from our planet. It grows daily as the Moon’s orbit carries the Moon’s dayside farther into view. Every day, the Moon rises a little bit later.
More Moon PhasesThe Moon is always half-lit by the sun (except during a lunar eclipse). The side of the Moon facing the Sun appears bright because of reflected sunlight, and the side of the Moon facing away from the Sun is dark. Our perspective on the half-lit Moon changes as the Moon orbits Earth. When the side nearest to us is fully lit, we call this a full Moon. When the far side is fully lit and the near side is dark, we call this a new Moon. When we see other phases, we are looking at the division between lunar night (the dark part) and day (the bright part).
More Moon PhasesThis is the sixth phase of the Moon. The waning gibbous phase is between a Full moon and a Half moon and it means that the Moon is getting smaller and smaller. A Wanning Gibbous Moon rises around 9 pm and sets around 9 am.
More Moon PhasesHalf Moon is used to mean the first- and third-quarter moons, while the term quarter refers to the extent of the Moon's cycle around the Earth, not its shape. So a Half Moon is when only half of the Moon’s surface facing the Earth is lit by light from the Sun.
More Moon PhasesBelievers in the lunar cycle effects on human bodies (including the hair) ascribe a similarly forceful effect of this gravitational field on the bodies of humans and animals. According to their belief system, hair grows stronger, hair care products work better, and the styling is more beautiful if the hair care regimen is scheduled according to the lunar calendar. Conditions during the waxing moon promote hair growth after a haircut. Therefore, you should cut your hair between the new and full moon if you want your hair to grow fast after a haircut.
More Fun FactsNo one. According to international law, no one can lay territorial claim to the Moon or any other celestial body, so a national flag on the Moon is purely symbolic. There are also websites where you can buy a certificate saying you own a plot of land on the Moon, but this isn't worth the paper it is written on.
More Fun FactsIn many languages the Moon is gender neutral, in other languages it’s not. For example, in French, the Moon is feminine (la lune) and in German, the Moon is masculine (der Mond). From a cultural point of view, the Moon is often referred as feminine. For example, in Greek mythology, Selene was the Goddess of the Moon and so the Moon has been known as Selene. In Roman mythology, it was the Goddess Luna, from where we get Lunar cycles from. This would give the moon a female gender.
More Fun FactsMoon dust smells like gunpowder. Just to be clear, moondust and gunpowder are not the same thing, so why is this gunpowder smell? No one really knows.
More Fun FactsAt first, Blue Moon is nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon. A Blue Moon is the second Full Moon in a calendar month. Typically, months have only one Full Moon, but sometimes a second one sneaks in. Most months are 30 or 31 days long while Full Moons are separated by 29 days, so it’s possible to fit two full moons in a single month. This happens every two and a half years, on average. Blue Moons dependent on the Gregorian calendar and time zones so you should check our Moon Calendar.
More Fun Facts
MoonPhaseToday.org allows you to view the moon phase for today and tonight, or any given day, month, and year. The moon phase calculation is based on your time zone but we also show you the exact times in UTC format. Hope you find our tool useful and easy to use to find the phases of the Moon.
MoonPhaseToday.org