Moon Phase Software

Tools & method

Moon Phase Calculator for an exact date and time

Enter a local civil date, 24-hour time, and IANA time zone. The tool converts that instant to UTC and calculates the Moon's geocentric phase angle, illuminated fraction, lunar age, direction, and adjacent principal events.

Calculation input




Use an IANA name so historical daylight-saving rules are applied. The default is UTC.

Calculated Moon state

Schematic Moon phase: waxing, 6.18% illuminated at a phase angle of 28.70 degrees. This represents illuminated fraction only, not sky orientation or observer hemisphere.
Schematic illumination only — not sky orientation or observer hemisphere.
Phase
Waxing Crescent
Illuminated fraction
6.18%
Lunar age
2.649 days
Direction
waxing
Nearest principal event
New Moon, previous, 2 days, 15 hours, 35 minutes away
Phase angle
28.7029°
Selected instant in Europe/London
2027-01-10T12:00+00:00[Europe/London]
UTC instant
2027-01-10T12:00:00.000Z
Show every previous and next principal phase
Previous and next event for each principal phase
EventPrevious in Europe/LondonPrevious UTCNext in Europe/LondonNext UTC
New MoonThursday, 7 January 2027 at 20:25:05 GMT2027-01-07T20:25:05.910ZSaturday, 6 February 2027 at 15:56:47 GMT2027-02-06T15:56:47.415Z
First QuarterThursday, 17 December 2026 at 05:43:14 GMT2026-12-17T05:43:14.883ZFriday, 15 January 2027 at 20:35:05 GMT2027-01-15T20:35:05.099Z
Full MoonThursday, 24 December 2026 at 01:28:45 GMT2026-12-24T01:28:45.040ZFriday, 22 January 2027 at 12:17:50 GMT2027-01-22T12:17:50.281Z
Last QuarterWednesday, 30 December 2026 at 19:00:07 GMT2026-12-30T19:00:07.341ZFriday, 29 January 2027 at 10:56:06 GMT2027-01-29T10:56:06.214Z

How to read the result

Phase angle is the Moon's geocentric ecliptic longitude relative to the Sun: 0° is new Moon, 90° first quarter, 180° full Moon, and 270° last quarter. Lunar age is the elapsed UTC time since the strictly preceding calculated new Moon; it is not the time since an observed local moonrise.

Principal event times are instants and therefore do not change when the display time zone changes. Only their local representation changes.

Scope and limitations

See the phase calculation methods and astronomical sources. For the same exact instant, calculate Moon distance and apparent size, or add an observer location in the Moon Position Calculator. The Lunar Eclipse Finder searches global events before and after a selected time.