Current Moon Phase
Sponsored by the U.S. Naval Observatory

 

A Calendar for the Moons of the Year
2012, 2013
Moon Facts

Moon times are from Griffith Obervatory
Times are given in Pacific Standard Time
Moon Names are Medieval English/Wiccan/Celtic

2012

January

* Full Moon (Wolf/Ice/Quiet Moon) - Sunday 8th, 11:30 pm
* 4th Quarter - Monday 16th, 1:08 am
* New Moon - Sunday 22nd, 11:39 pm
* 1st Quarter - Monday 30th, 8:10 pm

February

* (Imbolc) - Thursday 2nd
* Full Moon (Storm/Snow/Ice Moon) - Tuesday 7th, 1:54 pm
* 4th Quarter - Tuesday 14th, 9:04 am
* New Moon - Tuesday 21st, 2:35 pm
* 1st Quarter - Wednesday 29th (Leap Day), 5:21 pm

March

* Full Moon (Chaste/Death/Winds Moon) - Thursday 8th, 1:39 am
* 4th Quarter - Wednesday 14th, 6:25 pm
* Spring Equinox (Ostara) - Monday 19th, 10:14 pm
* New Moon - Thursday 22nd, 7:37 am
* 1st Quarter - Friday 30th, 5:21 pm

April

* Full Moon (Seed/Awakening/Growing Moon) - Friday 6th, 12:19 pm
* 4th Quarter - Friday (the) 13th, 3:50 am
* New Moon - Saturday 21st, 12:18 am
* 1st Quarter - Sunday 29th, 2:57 am

May

* (Beltane) - Tuesday 1st
* Full Moon (Hare/Grass/Bright Moon) - Saturday 5th, 8:35 pm
* 4th Quarter - Saturday 12th, 2:47 pm
* New Moon - Sunday 20th, 4:47 pm
* 1st Quarter - Monday 28th, 1:16 pm

June

* Full Moon (Dyan/Planting/Horses Moon) - Monday 4th, 4:12 pm
* 4th Quarter - Monday 11th, 3:41 am
* New Moon - Tuesday 19th, 8:02 am
* Summer Solstice (Midsummer) - Wednesday 20th, 4:09 pm
* 1st Quarter - Tuesday 26th, 8:30 pm

July

* Full Moon (Mead/Rose/Claiming Moon) - Tuesday 3rd, 11:52 am
* 4th Quarter - Tuesday 10th, 6:48 pm
* New Moon - Wednesday 18th, 9:24 pm
* 1st Quarter - Thursday 26th, 1:56 am

August

* (Lammas/Lughnassadh) - Wednesday 1st
* Full Moon (Corn/Lightening/Dispute Moon) - Wednesday 1st, 8:27 pm
* 4th Quarter - Thursday 11th, 11:55 am
* New Moon - Friday 17th, 8:54 am
* 1st Quarter - Friday 24th, 6:54 am
* Full Moon (Barley/Harvest/Singing Moon) (Calendar Blue Moon) - Friday 31st, 6:58 am

September

* 4th Quarter - Saturday 8th, 6:15 am
* New Moon - Saturday 15th, 7:11 pm
* Fall Equinox (Mabon) - Saturday 22nd, 7:49 am
* 1st Quarter - Saturday 22nd, 12:41 pm
* Full Moon (Blood/Blood/Harvest Moon) - Friday 28th, 8:19 pm

October

* 4th Quarter - Monday 8th, 12:33 am
* New Moon - Monday 15th, 5:03 am
* 1st Quarter - Sunday 21st, 8:32 pm
* Full Moon (Snow/Tree/Dark Moon) - Monday 29th, 12:49 pm
* (Samhain) - Wednesday 31st

November

* 4th Quarter - Tuesday 6th, 4:36 pm
* New Moon - Monday 13th, 2:08 pm
* 1st Quarter - Tuesday 20th, 6:31 am
* Full Moon (Oak/Long Night/Cold Moon) - Wednesday 28th, 6:46 am

December

* 4th Quarter - Thursday 6th, 7:31 am
* New Moon - Thursday 13th, 12:42 am
* 1st Quarter - Wednesday 19th, 9:19 pm
* Winter Solstice (Yule) - Friday 21st, 3:12 am
* Full Moon (Wolf/Ice/Quiet Moon) - Wednesday 28th, 2:21 am

2013

January

* 4th Quarter - Friday 4th, 7:58 pm
* New Moon - Friday 11th, 11:44 am
* 1st Quarter - Friday 18th, 3:45 pm
* Full Moon (Storm/Snow/Ice Moon) - Saturday 26th, 8:38 pm

February

* (Imbolc) - Saturday 2nd
* 4th Quarter - Sunday 3rd, 5:56 am
* New Moon - Saturday 9th, 11:20 pm
* 1st Quarter - Sunday 17th, 12:31 pm
* Full Moon (Chaste/Death/Winds Moon) - Monday 25th, 12:26 pm

March

* 4th Quarter - Monday 4th, 1:53 pm
* New Moon - Monday 11th, 12:51 pm
* 1st Quarter - Tuesday 19th, 10:27 am
* Spring Equinox (Ostara) - Wednesday 20th, 3:02 am
* Full Moon (Seed/Awakening/Growing Moon) - Wednesday 27th, 2:27 pm

April

* 4th Quarter - Tuesday 2nd, 9:37 pm
* New Moon - Wednesday 10th, 2:35 am
* 1st Quarter - Thursday 18th, 5:31 am
* Full Moon (Hare/Grass/Bright Moon) - Thursday 25th, 12:57 pm

May

* (Beltane) - Wednesday 1st
* 4th Quarter - Thursday 2nd, 4:14 am
* New Moon - Thursday 9th, 3:29 pm
* 1st Quarter - Friday 17th, 9:35 pm
* Full Moon (Dyan/Planting/Horses Moon) - Friday 24th, 9:25 pm
* 4th Quarter - Friday 31st, 11:58 pm

June

* New Moon - Saturday 8th, 8:56 am
* 1st Quarter - Sunday 16th, 10:24 am
* Summer Solstice (Midsummer) - Thursday 20th, 10:04 pm
* Full Moon (Mead/Rose/Claiming Moon) - Sunday 23rd, 4:32 am
* 4th Quarter - Saturday 29th, 9:54 pm

July

* New Moon - Monday 8th, 12:14 am
* 1st Quarter - Monday 15th, 8:18 pm
* Full Moon (Corn/Lightening/Dispute Moon) - Monday 22nd, 11:15 am
* 4th Quarter - Monday 29th, 10:43 pm

August

* (Lammas/Lughnassadh) - Thursday 1st
* New Moon - Tuesday 6th, 2:51 pm
* 1st Quarter - Wednesday 14th, 3:56 am
* Full Moon (Barley/Harvest/Singing Moon) - Tuesday 20th, 6:45 pm
* 4th Quarter - Wednesday 28th, 2:35 am

September

* New Moon - Thursday 5th, 4:36 am
* 1st Quarter - Thursday 12th, 10:08 am
* Full Moon (Seasonal Blue Moon) - Thursday 19th, 4:13 am
* Fall Equinox (Mabon) - Sunday 22nd, 1:44 pm
* 4th Quarter - Thursday 26th, 8:56 pm

October

* New Moon - Friday 4th, 3:35 pm
* 1st Quarter - Friday 11th, 4:02 pm
* Full Moon (Hunter's/Blood/Harvest Moon) - Friday 18th, 2:38 pm
* 4th Quarter - Saturday 26th, 4:41 pm
* (Samhain) - Thursday 31st

November

* New Moon - Sunday 3rd, 4:50 am
* 1st Quarter - Saturday 9th, 9:57 pm
* Full Moon (Snow/Tree/Dark Moon) - Sunday 17th, 7:16 am
* 4th Quarter - Monday 25th, 11:28 am

December

* New Moon - Monday 2nd, 4:22 pm
* 1st Quarter - Monday 9th, 7:12 am
* Full Moon (Oak/Long Night/Cold Moon) - Tuesday 17th, 1:28 am
* Winter Solstice (Yule) - Saturday 21st, 9:11 am
* 4th Quarter - Wednesday 25th, 5:48 am

 

Moon Facts

A blue moon did not originally refer to the second full moon in a month. It original refered to seasons, rather than months. During the seasonal year, there are usually three seasons with three moons and a fourth with four. The fourth moon in that season is called a blue moon so the names of the other moons in that season would stay in the correct place.

The moon always shows the same side to us. The way it spins in orbit keeps the same side to the Earth at all times. Many moons around other planets do the same thing.

The moon is bigger than Pluto.

The next full moon on Halloween will be in 2020. There will be no full moon in February in 2018.

The dark side of the moon is a misnomer. It gets light just like the rest of the moon. It's simply the side we can't see.

The moon is not actually round; it is egg-shaped. The pointy end is facing us.

There are 400 trees growing right now that were taken into orbit around the moon during one of the Apollo missions. One of them, having flown on Apollo 14, was planted in 1971 in the Capitol Park in Sacramento, California.

The moon appears to move across the sky on Earth, but Earth is pretty stationary from the moon. This comes from the fact that the same side is always facing the Earth, so walking around on the surface of the moon is the only way to move the Earth in the sky.

Sometimes, there appears to be a ring around the moon. This is generally caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere, but traditionally it is considered bad luck. :(

The moon has earthquakes. Or moonquakes?

The density of the outer layers of the moon is similar to that of cheese. History has it wrong on one point, however. Swiss cheese is too dense. The moon is actually closer to Romano cheese. See, sometimes the kids have it right.

The moon does not actually orbit the Earth. (Keep reading before calling me any names, please.) Instead, the moon and Earth spin together around the sun. Think of it like two ice skaters holding hands, whirling together in a circle while moving around the rink.

Some of the moon rocks brought back to Earth by the Apollo missions were later stolen. One was even lost in the mail.

The moon only reflects back 7% of the light that hits it.

There isn't just a man in the moon. There are also a lady, a rabbit and a toad.

A golf ball was hit 2,400 feet (almost a half mile) on the surface of the moon.

There is evidence that people gain and loose weight with the moon phases. (Really, it wasn't the three slices of cheesecake, it was just the full moon.)

 

Great Sites on the Moon

Moon Tool
A great program that runs on your computer, showing the phase of the moon in a small graphic in the task bar of your desktop. Great for reminding you to reconnect.

Complete Sun and Moon Data for One Day
Need to know what the sun and moon are doing in your town for the big event? The Navy can help with this one.

Inconstant Moon

Keith's Moon Page

The Moon Trees

The Nine Planets: Luna
The site is called The Nine Planets, but covers the eight planets as well as the four dwarf planets.

Sky and Telescope Article on Blue Moon