Phase notes

Waning Crescent

The closing sliver. Shrinking towards the new moon and the start of the next count.

What you see

A thin curve in the east before sunrise, horns pointing away from where the sun is about to come up.

Next two years

The dates when the moon sits closest to the middle of this band.

September 7, 2026October 7, 2026November 5, 2026December 5, 2026January 3, 2027February 2, 2027March 4, 2027April 3, 2027May 2, 2027June 1, 2027June 30, 2027July 30, 2027August 28, 2027September 26, 2027October 26, 2027November 24, 2027December 23, 2027January 22, 2028February 21, 2028March 22, 2028April 20, 2028May 20, 2028June 19, 2028July 18, 2028

The eight phases

New Moon

Centre of the band at 0 degrees

Waxing Crescent

Centre of the band at 45 degrees

First Quarter

Centre of the band at 90 degrees

Waxing Gibbous

Centre of the band at 135 degrees

Full Moon

Centre of the band at 180 degrees

Waning Gibbous

Centre of the band at 225 degrees

Last Quarter

Centre of the band at 270 degrees

Waning Crescent

Centre of the band at 315 degrees

Where the name comes from

A phase is only the angle between the sun and the moon as we see it. This one sits at 315 degrees of that angle, seven eighths of the way through a cycle that runs 29.53 days.

Crescent means less than half the disc is lit, gibbous means more than half, and the quarters are the two moments in between. The quarter names count orbit, not brightness - a first quarter moon looks like a half.

Every date of the year

Three hundred and sixty-six pages, one for each date, each with the phase for that day printed year by year.

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember