Current Moon Phase Emoji

Lunar Phases

There are eight lunar phases: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent. The cycle repeats once a month (every 29.5 days).

New, full, and quarter phases occur on specific days, while crescent and gibbous phases are the transitions between these points and span multiple days. The quarters are so named because they occur when the Moon is one fourth or three fourths of the way through its cycle of phases.

New Moon

The invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth. The Moon is in the same part of the sky as the Sun and rises and sets with the Sun.

Waxing Crescent

This silver sliver of a Moon occurs when the illuminated half of the Moon faces mostly away from Earth, with only a tiny portion visible from our planet. It grows daily as the Moon’s orbit carries the Moon’s dayside farther into view. Every day, the Moon rises a little bit later.

First Quarter

The Moon is a quarter of the way through its monthly journey and we see half of its illuminated side. A first quarter moon rises around noon and sets around midnight. It’s high in the sky in the evening and makes for excellent viewing.

Waxing Gibbous

Now most of the Moon’s dayside has come into view, and the Moon appears brighter in the sky.

Full Moon

This is as close as we come to seeing the Sun’s illumination of the entire day side of the Moon. The Moon is opposite the Sun, as viewed from Earth, revealing the Moon’s dayside. A full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise.

Waning Gibbous

As the Moon begins its journey back toward the Sun, the opposite side of the Moon now reflects the Moon’s light. The lighted side appears to shrink, but the Moon’s orbit is simply carrying it out of view from our perspective. The Moon rises later and later each night.

Last Quarter

The Moon looks like it’s half illuminated from the perspective of Earth, but really you’re seeing half of the half of the Moon that’s illuminated by the Sun ― or a quarter. A last quarter moon, also known as a third quarter moon, rises around midnight and sets around noon.

Waning Crescent

The Moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faces the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective is a thin curve.