Moon Phases 2026

The Moon goes through its full cycle of phases in about 29.5 days. At the New Moon it stands between the Earth and the Sun and its lit side faces away from us; over the next two weeks it waxes through the first quarter to the Full Moon, when it is opposite the Sun and fully lit, then wanes through the last quarter back to the next New Moon.

In astrology the New Moon is a time for beginnings and the Full Moon a time of culmination, when things come to light or reach a turning point. Each New and Full Moon happens in a zodiac sign, and when one lines up closely with the points where the Moon's orbit crosses the Sun's path, it becomes an eclipse: a solar eclipse at a New Moon, a lunar eclipse at a Full Moon.

All dates, times and signs on this page are calculated from the JPL planetary ephemeris and shown in New York time (ET); solar eclipses are checked against NASA's catalog.