The Moon goes through all of its phases every 29.53 days. Right now the Moon is in its last quarter phase, with 53% of the visible disk lit and 21.8 days of age since the last new moon. Below you will find the exact times of the next phases, this month's lunar calendar and every new and full moon for the next 12 months.
Next Moon phases
| Phase | Date and time (Brasília) | UTC | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Quarter | Saturday, October 3, 2026, 10:25 | Oct 3, 13:25 | in about 14 h |
| New Moon | Saturday, October 10, 2026, 12:50 | Oct 10, 15:50 | in 7.7 days |
| First Quarter | Sunday, October 18, 2026, 13:12 | Oct 18, 16:12 | in 15.7 days |
| Full Moon | Monday, October 26, 2026, 01:11 | Oct 26, 04:11 | in 23.2 days |
Lunar calendar for October 2026
Each day shows the Moon phase and the illuminated percentage at noon Brasília time. Today is highlighted.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 167% | 257% | 346%Last Q | ||||
| 436% | 526% | 617% | 710% | 85% | 91% | 100%New |
| 111% | 124% | 1310% | 1417% | 1525% | 1635% | 1745% |
| 1856%1st Q | 1966% | 2076% | 2184% | 2291% | 2396% | 2499% |
| 25100% | 2699%Full | 2795% | 2889% | 2982% | 3073% | 3163% |
New and full moons for the next 12 months
| Month | New Moon | Full Moon |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | Oct 10, 12:50 |
Oct 26, 01:11 |
| November 2026 | Nov 9, 04:02 |
Nov 24, 11:53 |
| December 2026 | Dec 8, 21:52 |
Dec 23, 22:28 |
| January 2027 | Jan 7, 17:24 |
Jan 22, 09:17 |
| February 2027 | Feb 6, 12:56 |
Feb 20, 20:23 |
| March 2027 | Mar 8, 06:29 |
Mar 22, 07:44 |
| April 2027 | Apr 6, 20:51 |
Apr 20, 19:27 |
| May 2027 | May 6, 07:58 |
May 20, 07:59 |
| June 2027 | Jun 4, 16:40 |
Jun 18, 21:44 |
| July 2027 | Jul 4, 00:02 |
Jul 18, 12:45 |
| August 2027 | Aug 2, 07:05 Aug 31, 14:41 |
Aug 17, 04:29 |
| September 2027 | Sep 29, 23:36 |
Sep 15, 20:04 |
The lunar cycle: why it takes 29.53 days
The Moon does not make its own light. We see the half of it that faces the Sun, and the phases are simply the changing view of that lit half as the Moon orbits the Earth. It is not the Earth's shadow: that only happens during a lunar eclipse. The cycle runs through eight named phases: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter and waning crescent. "Waxing" means the lit part is growing, "waning" means it is shrinking, and "gibbous" means more than half is lit.
The Moon needs about 27.3 days to circle the Earth relative to the stars, but because the Earth keeps moving around the Sun in the meantime, it takes roughly two extra days to return to the same position relative to the Sun. That longer interval, 29.53 days on average, is the synodic month, or lunation. The real value changes by several hours from one lunation to the next because the orbit is elliptical, which is why the times in the tables above are calculated phase by phase instead of simply adding 29.53 days.
Why the Moon looks different in each hemisphere
The phase and the percentage lit are the same for everyone on Earth at a given moment, but the orientation is not. Observers in the northern hemisphere see a waxing Moon lit on the right side, while in the southern hemisphere, including Brazil, the same Moon is lit on the left. Near the equator, a crescent often looks like a bowl or a boat lying on its back, because the line between the lit and dark parts is almost horizontal. Use the buttons at the top of the page to see how the same Moon looks from each side of the equator.
Supermoon, blue moon and other names
The Moon's orbit is an ellipse, with a closest point (perigee, about 357,000 km) and a farthest point (apogee, about 406,000 km). A supermoon is a full or new moon that happens close to perigee. A full supermoon can look up to 14% wider and about 30% brighter than a full moon at apogee, although the difference is hard to notice without comparing photographs. A blue moon has nothing to do with color: it is the second full moon in one calendar month, which happens roughly every 2.7 years because a lunation is shorter than most months. A "blood moon" is a total lunar eclipse, when the Moon turns reddish inside the Earth's shadow.
The Moon and the tides
The Moon's gravity pulls the oceans, creating two tidal bulges, so most coasts have two high tides and two low tides in a little over 24 hours. When the Sun and the Moon line up, at new and full moon, their effects add up and the tides are larger: these are spring tides. At the quarter phases they pull at right angles and the tides are smaller, called neap tides. Along Brazil's north coast, such as São Luís in Maranhão, the tidal range can pass 6 meters, so the lunar calendar matters to fishers, sailors and beach visitors.
Myths and facts
- Myth: there is a "dark side" of the Moon that never gets sunlight. Fact: the far side gets as much sun as the near side; we just never see it from Earth because the Moon always shows us the same face.
- Myth: the Moon is bigger near the horizon. Fact: it is the same size; the effect is an optical illusion, and photographs show no difference.
- Myth: phases are caused by the Earth's shadow. Fact: they come from our viewing angle on the lit half.
- Myth: the full moon causes more births or accidents. Fact: careful studies have not found a reliable link.
- Fact: the Moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, so a full moon rises around sunset and a first quarter moon is high in the sky at sunset.
To plan around the Sun as well, see sunrise and sunset times, the start of the seasons and the week number of the year.