Moon phase today

What are the moon's phases?

The moon takes about 29.5 days to cycle through its phases, from new moon to full moon and back. The phase you see is how much of the moon's lit half faces Earth, which changes as the moon orbits us.

• New moon: the lit side faces away, so the moon is dark.
• Waxing crescent: a thin sliver on the right, growing.
• First quarter: the right half is lit.
• Waxing gibbous: more than half, still growing.
• Full moon: the whole face is lit.
• Waning gibbous: more than half, now shrinking.
• Last quarter: the left half is lit.
• Waning crescent: a thin sliver on the left, fading to new.

The lit side is on the right as the moon waxes and on the left as it wanes, for viewers in the Northern Hemisphere. South of the equator it is mirrored, which Gibbous can flip for you. There is a fuller walkthrough inhow to read moon phases.

When is the next full moon?

There is a live countdown on the next full moon page, and every phase date for 2026 and 2027 is listed under moon phase dates by year. Gibbous shows the next full and new moon as a countdown, in your own time zone, and can remind you before each one.

What was the moon on your birthday?

Any past date works the same way. Find the moon on the night you were born, or check whether two birthdays make a full moon together with themoon phase compatibility calculator.