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Moon Phase Calendar

View moon phases, full moon dates, new moon dates, and lunar cycles for any month.

Tested tool guide Tested browser tools Checked August 16, 2026

What Moon Phase Calendar does and how it behaves

Moon Phase Calendar places a selected month inside the repeating lunar cycle, showing the progression of phases and identifying its full moon and new moon dates. It helps determine whether an observation, event, or recurring plan falls near a brighter or darker part of the cycle. The important detail is that each named phase occurs at a particular instant. A day labeled Full Moon contains that instant under the calendar's time convention; the Moon does not remain precisely full throughout that entire day.

How the result is produced

1

Selecting the month

Choose the month and year you want to examine. The calendar arranges that month's dates in order and associates them with their positions in the lunar cycle. New moon and full moon markers make the principal dates easy to locate, while the surrounding phases show whether the visible illuminated portion is generally waxing or waning.

2

Following the lunar cycle

The displayed sequence progresses from new moon through waxing phases to full moon, then through waning phases to the next new moon. Because a lunar cycle does not align with calendar-month boundaries, the cycle shown for a month may have started during the previous month or continue into the following one.

Good uses

  • Plan a dark-sky observing or astrophotography session by identifying dates near the new moon, when less moonlight may interfere with faint targets.
  • Check whether a wedding, camping trip, night hike, or other dated event falls close to a new moon or full moon.
  • Record lunar phases alongside a nature journal, photography log, or monthly observation project without manually counting days from an earlier phase.

Limits and checks

  • The civil date of an exact phase can differ by time zone, especially when the phase occurs close to midnight. Check the calendar's time convention before comparing it with another source.
  • A phase calendar does not establish whether the Moon will be above the horizon at a particular place and hour. Moonrise, moonset, latitude, weather, and twilight also affect visibility.
  • New and full moons do not automatically mean an eclipse, and this calendar is not a local tide predictor. Eclipses require additional orbital alignment, while tide times and heights depend on location.

Common questions

Does a Full Moon label mean the Moon is exactly full all night?

No. Full moon is an exact astronomical phase occurring at one instant. The Moon can look nearly round for nights on either side, but only the listed instant is geometrically full. Whether that instant falls during local daytime or nighttime depends on the date, time, and time zone used for the calendar.

Can I use this calendar to predict high and low tides?

No. Lunar phase helps identify the broad timing of spring tides, which occur around new and full moons, but it does not supply local tide times or heights. Those predictions also require the location and local coastal behavior. Use an official, location-specific tide table for navigation or safety decisions.

References and verification

The behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.

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