Lunar Phase Calendar

Monthly moon phases, illumination percentages, and rise/set times — powered by Skyfield.

Optional: Enter your 5-digit US ZIP code to add moon rise and set times.
Back to Space Toolkit

October 2026

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
🌖
Waning Gibbous
72.9%
2
🌗
Last Quarter
62.2%
3
🌗
Last Quarter
50.8%
🌗 Last Quarter
4
🌗
Last Quarter
39.4%
5
🌘
Waning Crescent
28.6%
6
🌘
Waning Crescent
19.1%
7
🌘
Waning Crescent
11.2%
8
🌘
Waning Crescent
5.3%
9
🌑
New Moon
1.6%
10
🌑
New Moon
0.1%
🌑 New Moon
11
🌑
New Moon
0.9%
12
🌑
New Moon
3.7%
13
🌒
Waxing Crescent
8.4%
14
🌒
Waxing Crescent
14.6%
15
🌒
Waxing Crescent
22.0%
16
🌓
First Quarter
30.3%
17
🌓
First Quarter
39.2%
18
🌓
First Quarter
48.6%
🌓 First Quarter
19
🌓
First Quarter
58.1%
20
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
67.4%
21
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
76.3%
22
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
84.4%
23
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
91.2%
24
🌕
Full Moon
96.3%
25
🌕
Full Moon
99.3%
26
🌕
Full Moon
99.7%
🌕 Full Moon
27
🌕
Full Moon
97.4%
28
🌖
Waning Gibbous
92.5%
29
🌖
Waning Gibbous
85.2%
30
🌖
Waning Gibbous
75.9%
31
🌗
Last Quarter
65.4%

Next Major Phases

🌓
First Quarter
October 18, 2026
16:12 UTC
In 5 days
🌕
Full Moon
October 26, 2026
04:11 UTC
In 13 days
🌗
Last Quarter
November 01, 2026
20:28 UTC
In 19 days
🌑
New Moon
November 09, 2026
07:02 UTC
In 27 days

Phase Reference

Phase Name Illumination Best for Observing
🌑New Moon ~0% Deep sky objects (darkest skies)
🌒Waxing Crescent1–49% Evening crescent, earthshine visible
🌓First Quarter ~50% Lunar terminator & crater detail
🌔Waxing Gibbous 51–99% Mare & highland contrast
🌕Full Moon ~100% Naked-eye features; bright
🌖Waning Gibbous 99–51% Late-night & pre-dawn viewing
🌗Last Quarter ~50% Pre-dawn terminator detail
🌘Waning Crescent49–1% Pre-dawn crescent; near-dark skies

Understanding Lunar Phases

The lunar cycle: The Moon completes one full cycle of phases — from New Moon back to New Moon — every 29.53 days (the synodic period). This calendar uses the Skyfield astronomy library to compute precise illumination and phase angles directly from JPL ephemeris data, so percentages and phase labels are accurate to the minute.

Rise and set times: When a ZIP code is provided, the calendar adds local moonrise and moonset times for each day. These times vary significantly with latitude and can shift by more than an hour across the continental US. On some days the Moon may not rise or set at all — this is normal near the poles or when the Moon's orbital geometry keeps it above (or below) the horizon for a full day.

Related space tools: Find out if tonight is good for stargazing — including twilight windows, satellite passes, and a quality rating — with the Night Sky Planner. Track the ISS in real time with the ISS Tracker, or predict visible passes for dozens of other satellites with the Satellite Pass Predictor.

This tool was created by Ben Crittenden, a Project Management Professional (PMP) with experience in web development and systems administration.