How To Read The Moon Phase Calendar
The moon phase calendar above shows the moon emoji for every single day of the month. Each little box is one day. The number in the corner tells you the date, the big moon emoji shows what the moon looks like that night, and the tiny number under the emoji is the illumination percent. That number tells you how much of the moon is lit up by the sun. A full moon is 100 percent lit, and a new moon is 0 percent lit.
Use the Prev Month and Next Month buttons to walk through the moon phase calendar one month at a time. Want to go back to where you started? Press the Today button and the lunar calendar jumps right back to the current month. You can keep clicking next month to see the moon phases for many months and even years ahead. It is a great way to plan a moon watching trip, a stargazing night, or a camping weekend under a bright full moon.
The Lunar Calendar Explained
A lunar calendar follows the moon instead of the sun. The moon goes through one whole lunar cycle in about 29 and a half days. That is shorter than most months on our regular wall calendar, so the moon phases slide a little bit every month. This moon phase calendar shows you exactly where in the lunar cycle each day falls, so you never have to guess what the moon emoji will be on any night of the year.
The lunar cycle has eight named moon phases. They go in order: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent. Then the cycle starts all over again with a new moon. The legend under the calendar shows every moon phase emoji and its name so you can read the calendar like a pro. Watch how the moon emoji slowly grows from a thin sliver to a full round circle, then shrinks back down again.
Full Moon And New Moon Dates
The full moon is the night the whole moon emoji is bright. On the moon phase calendar, look for the box with the big round yellow 🌕 emoji and a 100 percent illumination number. That is your full moon date for that month. The new moon is the night the moon is dark. Find the box with the dark 🌑 emoji and a 0 percent illumination number. That is your new moon date for the month.
Many people use a moon phase calendar to plan ahead. Gardeners plant seeds by the lunar calendar. Photographers wait for the full moon to take bright night sky pictures. Campers pick a new moon night when the sky is darkest so they can see the most stars. Fishermen, sailors, and night hikers all check the moon calendar before they go out. With this free moon phase emoji calendar, you can look up the full moon and new moon dates for any month and year you like, with no sign up, no app to install, and no cost.
Every moon emoji on this lunar calendar is calculated with the same math NASA uses, so the moon phase you see for each date matches the real moon in the sky. Try it tonight. Walk outside, look up, and check if the moon emoji on the calendar matches the real moon shape you see above you.