On Wednesday, December 18, 1996 the Moon was in its first quarter phase, with 55% of its disk illuminated and an age of 7.9 days since the last new moon. Half of the disk is lit, about a week after the new moon. The Moon is easy to see in the early evening and sets around midnight.
Moon data for this date
| Phase | 🌓 First Quarter |
|---|---|
| Illumination | 55% |
| Moon age | 7.9 days |
| Day of the week | Wednesday |
| Last new moon | December 10, 1996 at 14:56 |
| Next full moon | December 24, 1996 at 18:41 (in 6.3 days) |
| Next new moon | January 9, 1997 at 02:26 (in 21.6 days) |
The Moon on the surrounding days
Compare the phase and illumination over the three days before and after. Click a day to open its page.
← December 17, 1996 December 19, 1996 →
About the first quarter
Half of the disk is lit, about a week after the new moon. The Moon is easy to see in the early evening and sets around midnight. The phase name comes from the Moon's position in its 29.53-day cycle: on December 18, 1996 it had completed 27% of the cycle that began with the new moon on December 10, 1996.
Looking for another date, such as a birthday? Use the Moon phase on the day I was born tool, see the Moon phase today page with the lunar calendar, or find the day of the week of December 18, 1996. For sun times, check sunrise and sunset.