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.
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April 2026

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
🌕
Full Moon
99.6%
2
🌕
Full Moon
99.8%
🌕 Full Moon
3
🌕
Full Moon
97.9%
4
🌖
Waning Gibbous
94.3%
5
🌖
Waning Gibbous
89.0%
6
🌖
Waning Gibbous
82.4%
7
🌖
Waning Gibbous
74.7%
8
🌗
Last Quarter
66.1%
9
🌗
Last Quarter
56.9%
10
🌗
Last Quarter
47.3%
🌗 Last Quarter
11
🌗
Last Quarter
37.6%
12
🌘
Waning Crescent
28.1%
13
🌘
Waning Crescent
19.2%
14
🌘
Waning Crescent
11.4%
15
🌘
Waning Crescent
5.3%
16
🌑
New Moon
1.4%
17
🌑
New Moon
0.1%
🌑 New Moon
18
🌑
New Moon
1.7%
19
🌒
Waxing Crescent
6.1%
20
🌒
Waxing Crescent
13.0%
21
🌒
Waxing Crescent
21.9%
22
🌓
First Quarter
32.3%
23
🌓
First Quarter
43.4%
24
🌓
First Quarter
54.6%
🌓 First Quarter
25
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
65.2%
26
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
74.9%
27
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
83.3%
28
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
90.1%
29
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
95.2%
30
🌕
Full Moon
98.4%

Next Major Phases

🌑
New Moon
April 17, 2026
11:51 UTC
In 2 days
🌓
First Quarter
April 24, 2026
02:31 UTC
In 9 days
🌕
Full Moon
May 01, 2026
17:23 UTC
In 16 days
🌗
Last Quarter
May 09, 2026
21:10 UTC
In 24 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.