Moon Phase, Moonrise and Moonset
The moon phase shown here is calculated live in your browser from your selected city or device location, using the same lunar geometry the US Naval Observatory (opens in new tab) publishes reference tables for and that NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio (opens in new tab) animates for a full cycle. A darker moon (near new moon) means a better night for faint objects like the Milky Way or a meteor shower; a bright moon near full washes out anything but the brightest stars and planets. Check this before picking a night from /events or a trip to a place on /places, or see what's up this month for a full monthly rundown.
How this is calculated
Moon phase, illumination, moonrise and moonset are computed in your browser using SunCalc (opens in new tab), an open-source implementation of standard lunar position formulas, based on your selected city’s coordinates and the current time on your device. Nothing is sent to a server. For an explanation of what each phase means, see Moon Phases, Moonrise and Moonset Explained.