One night I looked up at the full moon; sometimes it’s just a piece of shiny silver. These changes in appearance are the phases of the moon. As the moon orbits the Earth, it cycles through eight distinct phases. The four main phases of the moon occur about a week apart, with full moon its most brilliant period.
In November 2021, the cycles of the Moon will occur on the following dates:
New Moon: December 4
First quarter: December 10
Full moon: December 18
Last quarter: December 26
During the new moon on December 4, the moon will pass in front of the sun, as seen from Earth, creating total lunar eclipse in 2021. Total period of eclipse will only show from Antarctica, but you can watch a NASA live stream, weather permitting. The live stream will start on December 4 at 1:30 a.m. EST (0630 GMT), with the eclipse itself starting on 2 a.m. EST (07:00 GMT). The total phase of the lunar eclipse will begin at 2:33 a.m. EST (0733 GMT), with the eclipse ending at 3:06 a.m. EST (2006 GMT).
Lunar calendar in 2021
Here are the moon phases in 2021, according to NASA’s SKYCAL. Time and date in UTC. If you need gear to see the moon, check out our guide to best telescope and Best telescopes for kids.
You can also check out our guide to how to take pictures of the moon, as well as How to take photos of a lunar eclipse for major lunar events. There’s even a tutorial on How to take photos of a solar eclipse.
If you are looking for photographic equipment, Best camera for astrophotography and best lens for astrophotography cameraA guide can help you prepare for your next moon view.
| New Moon | First quarter | Full moon | Last quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 6, 9:37 am | |||
| January 13, 5:00 am | January 20 9:02 pm | January 28, 7:16 pm | February 4, 5:37 pm |
| February 11, 7:06 pm | February 19, 6:47 pm | Feb 27, 8:17 | March 6, 1:30 am |
| March 13, 10:21 am | March 21, 2:40 pm | March 28, 6:48 pm | April 4, 10:02 am |
| April 12, 2:31 am | April 20, 6:59 am | April 27, 3:31 am | May 3, 7:50pm |
| May 11, 7:00pm | May 19, 7:13 pm | May 26, 11:14 am | June 2, 7:24 am |
| June 10, 10:53 am | June 18, 3:54 am | June 24, 6:40 pm | July 1, 9:11 pm |
| July 10, 1:16 am | July 17, 10:11 am | July 24, 2:37 am | July 31, 1:16 pm |
| August 8, 1:50 pm | August 15, 3:20 pm | August 22, 12:02 pm | August 30, 7:13 am |
| September 7, 12:52 am | September 13, 8:39 pm | September 20, 11:55 pm | September 29, 1:57 am |
| October 6, 11:05 a.m. | October 13, 3:25 a.m. | October 20, 2:57 pm | October 28, 8:05 pm |
| November 4, 9:15pm | November 11, December; 46 pm | November 19, 8:58 am | November 27, 12:28 pm |
| December 4, 7:43 am | December 10, 1:36 am | December 18, 4:36 am | December 26, 2:24 am |
Moon cycle
The Moon, like the Earth, is a sphere and it is always half-lit by the sun. As the moon moves around the Earth, we see more or less the illuminated half. The phases of the moon describe how bright the moon’s disk is from our perspective.
New Moon: The moon lies between the Earth and the sun, and the side of the moon facing us does not receive direct sunlight; it is lit only by the dim sunlight reflected from the Earth.
Waxing crescent: As the moon moves around the Earth, the side we can see is gradually illuminated more and more by direct sunlight.
First quarter: The moon is at a 90-degree angle to the sun in the sky and is half-lit from our point of view. We call it the “first quartile” because the moon has traveled about a quarter of the way around the Earth since the new moon.
Waxing giraffe: Lighting area continues to increase. More than half of the moon’s face appears to receive sunlight.
Full moon: The moon is 180 degrees from the sun and can be almost completely illuminated by the sun from our perspective. The sun, Earth, and moon are aligned, but because the moon’s orbit is not in the same plane as the Earth’s orbit around the sun, they rarely form a perfect line. When they do, we have a lunar eclipse when Earth’s shadow crosses the moon.
Hand-waving gibbons: More than half of the moon’s face appears to receive sunlight, but the amount of lunar light is decreasing.
Last quarter: The moon has traveled another quarter of the way around the Earth, reaching the third quarter position. The sun’s light is now shining on the other half of the visible side of the moon.
The crescent beckoned: Less than half of the moon’s face appears to receive sunlight, and the amount of lunar light is decreasing.
Finally, the moon has returned to the position where the new moon began. Now, the moon is between the Earth and the sun. Usually the moon passes above or below the sun from our vantage point, but sometimes it passes directly in front of the sun, and we get eclipse.
Related: Infographic: How Moon Phases Work
Additional sources
https://www.space.com/18880-moon-phases.html Lunar cycles in 2021: This year’s lunar cycles
