The Moon tonight
The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite, about a quarter as wide as Earth and on average 384,400 km away. It turns once on its axis for every orbit, so it always shows us the same face. Its phases repeat about every 29.5 days, and it rises around 50 minutes later each day.
Right now
| Direction | SE (129°) |
|---|---|
| Height above horizon | 5.6° |
| Distance from Earth | 247,275 mi |
| Distance from the Sun | 92.5 million mi |
| Apparent size | 30.0′ |
| Illuminated | 9% |
| Constellation | Libra |
See it on the sky
Loading 3D view...
Drag to look around, pinch or scroll to zoom.
Moon in 3D
The Moon as it is lit at this moment, seen from Earth, so the phase matches the one in the sky. Its surface is NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter map, with the relief made three times stronger to show the craters. Drag to turn it and see the far side, and move the time slider to watch the sunlight sweep across it.
Loading 3D view...
Drag to look around, pinch or scroll to zoom.
Where to find Moon among the stars
Where the Moon is among the stars today. The dotted line marks where it will be on each of the next three days.
Stars: HYG Database. Constellation figures: Stellarium. Deep-sky objects: OpenNGC (Messier objects marked M).
Next phases
- First quarter Moon,
- Full Moon,
- Last quarter Moon,
- New Moon,
- First quarter Moon,
- Full Moon,
- Last quarter Moon,
- New Moon,
Moon phase today Next full Moon Next new Moon
Moon calendar
Phase of the Moon at local midnight each day of October 2026.
Ephemeris for the next 15 days
Position at 0:00 UTC each day as seen from the centre of the Earth (apparent coordinates of date), calculated with Astronomy Engine.
| Date (UTC) | Right ascension | Declination | Magnitude | Apparent size | Distance | From the Sun | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2026 | 14h 51m 16s | −21° 25′ 55″ | -6.57 | 30.1′ | 396,492 km | 27.9° | Libra |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 15h 42m 09s | −24° 41′ 41″ | -7.41 | 29.9′ | 399,786 km | 39.1° | Libra |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 16h 34m 29s | −26° 48′ 11″ | -8.12 | 29.7′ | 402,397 km | 50.1° | Scorpius |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 17h 27m 38s | −27° 39′ 43″ | -8.73 | 29.6′ | 404,077 km | 61.0° | Ophiuchus |
| Oct 17, 2026 | 18h 20m 42s | −27° 14′ 31″ | -9.27 | 29.5′ | 404,631 km | 71.9° | Sagittarius |
| Oct 18, 2026 | 19h 12m 52s | −25° 34′ 44″ | -9.74 | 29.6′ | 403,936 km | 82.7° | Sagittarius |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 20h 03m 33s | −22° 45′ 46″ | -10.16 | 29.7′ | 401,958 km | 93.5° | Sagittarius |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 20h 52m 36s | −18° 55′ 04″ | -10.56 | 30.0′ | 398,764 km | 104.6° | Capricornus |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 21h 40m 15s | −14° 11′ 15″ | -10.94 | 30.3′ | 394,523 km | 115.8° | Capricornus |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 22h 27m 05s | −08° 43′ 48″ | -11.30 | 30.7′ | 389,507 km | 127.4° | Aquarius |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 23h 13m 58s | −02° 43′ 36″ | -11.66 | 31.1′ | 384,073 km | 139.3° | Pisces |
| Oct 24, 2026 | 00h 01m 54s | +03° 36′ 07″ | -12.02 | 31.5′ | 378,640 km | 151.6° | Pisces |
| Oct 25, 2026 | 00h 52m 02s | +09° 58′ 21″ | -12.37 | 32.0′ | 373,641 km | 164.1° | Pisces |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 01h 45m 31s | +16° 01′ 18″ | -12.68 | 32.3′ | 369,478 km | 174.9° | Pisces |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 02h 43m 14s | +21° 18′ 14″ | -12.52 | 32.6′ | 366,461 km | 167.8° | Aries |
Distance from Earth
Distance from Earth over the past and the coming year. The closest approach in this period: December 24, 2026, 356,641 km.
Thousand kilometres, sampled daily.
Coming up
Facts
| Diameter | 3,475 km |
|---|---|
| Equatorial radius | 1,738 km |
| Polar radius | 1,736 km |
| Mass | 0.073 × 10²⁴ kg |
| Density | 3,340 kg/m³ |
| Surface gravity | 1.6 m/s² |
| Escape velocity | 2.4 km/s |
| Length of a day | 708.7 hours |
| Rotation period | 655.7 hours |
| Orbital period | 27.3 days |
| Closest to Earth | 0.363 million km |
| Farthest from Earth | 0.406 million km |
| Orbital speed | 1 km/s |
| Orbital inclination | 5.1° |
| Orbital eccentricity | 0.055 |
| Axial tilt | 6.7° |
| Mean temperature | -20 °C |
| Surface pressure | 0 |
| Geometric albedo | 0.120 |
| Global magnetic field | No |
Source: NASA planetary fact sheet (Oct 12, 2026). Calculated with Astronomy Engine, an open-source library verified against the US Naval Observatory and NASA JPL. Data sources
Gravity compared: Moon and Earth
Drop, jump and throw side by side: Moon on one side, Earth or any other world on the other. Pick a world to compare, or open the full tool. Open the gravity tool
Earth: gravity of 9.8 m/s², 6.13 times that of Moon.
Loading 3D view...
| Moon | Earth | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface gravity | 1.6 m/s² | 9.8 m/s² (6.13 ×) |
| Time to fall | 3.54 s | 1.43 s |
Earth: with a mass of 70 kg you would weigh what 70.0 kg weighs on Earth, a force of 686 newtons.
Gravity values are NASA’s, measured at the equator and including the effect of the world’s rotation. The motion is shown without air: on Earth a real ball would be slowed down a little, and in the much denser air of Venus a lot.
Latest NASA images of Moon
The newest images about it in NASA’s Photojournal, updated daily. Open one for NASA’s full caption and the original file.
Apollo Footprint · Apr 21, 2021 · PIA24439 · Photo: NASA 
Graben on the Moon · May 13, 2019 · PIA23237 · Photo: NASA 
Lobate Scarps on the Moon · May 13, 2019 · PIA23236 · Photo: NASA 
Wrinkle Ridges on the Moon · May 13, 2019 · PIA23210 · Photo: NASA 
The Moon’s Mare Frigoris · May 13, 2019 · PIA23209 · Photo: NASA 
An Unusual View: MISR sees the Moon · Aug 17, 2017 · PIA21876 · Photo: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
NASA news about Moon
- NASA Invites Media to International Observe the Moon Night
- Celebrate International Observe the Moon Night with NASA
- 2026 Total Solar Eclipse in Spain
Headlines from NASA’s news feeds (in English), updated daily. Last checked October 13, 2026.
Discoveries and exploration
Key moments in the study of Moon, each linked to its source.
- September 13, 1959The Soviet Luna 2 becomes the first spacecraft to impact the Moon's surface. Source
- October 6, 1959Luna 3 flies past the Moon and returns the first pictures of the lunar far side. Source · Recent NASA photos
- February 3, 1966Luna 9 makes the first soft landing on the Moon and sends the first picture from its surface. Source · Recent NASA photos
- December 24, 1968Apollo 8 arrives at the Moon; its crew are the first humans to orbit it. Source
- July 20, 1969Apollo 11 lands the first humans on the Moon. Source
- September 20, 1970Luna 16 achieves the first robotic sample return from beyond Earth. Source
- November 17, 1970Luna 17 delivers Lunokhod 1, the first robotic rover to explore a world beyond Earth. Source
- January 3, 2019China's Chang'e 4 lander and Yutu 2 rover make the first landing on the lunar far side. Source
- August 23, 2023India's Chandrayaan-3 becomes the first spacecraft to soft-land near the lunar south pole. Source
- June 1, 2024China's Chang'e 6 arrives at the Moon; it returned the first samples from the lunar far side. Source
- April 6, 2026Artemis II carries four astronauts around the far side of the Moon on a crewed flyby. Source
Checked against the linked NASA, ESA and NOAA pages on October 10, 2026.
How to use this page
Choose your place and a night at the top: tonight by default, or one of the dates under it. The Moon is drawn as it is lit that night, and the tiles show when it rises, is highest and sets, the next full and new Moon and its distance. Below them you find where it is right now, the sky in 3D, finder charts, the phases and the facts.
What the numbers mean
- Rises and sets
- When the top edge of the disc meets a flat horizon, with the bending of light by the air included, as in almanacs. A time on another day carries its date.
- Highest
- When it crosses the meridian, due south or due north, and its height above the horizon then.
- Direction and height
- The compass point and azimuth to face, counted from north through east, and the angle above the horizon. A fist at arm’s length covers about 10°.
- Distance and apparent size
- How far away it is from Earth’s centre at that moment and how wide it looks in the sky, in arcminutes (′) or arcseconds (″).
- Magnitude
- Brightness: the smaller the number, the brighter. About 6 is the faintest the eye sees under a dark sky.
How accurate it is
Positions and times come from Astronomy Engine. In our tests positions agree with NASA JPL’s Horizons to within one arcminute, and rise and set times of the Sun and the Moon to within two minutes. Times assume a flat horizon at your place, so hills and buildings change when you actually see it rise or set. Methodology
Frequently asked questions
Why do the times change from night to night?
Earth turns once a day, and the body moves along its own path at the same time, so it rises and sets at a slightly different time each day. The Moon moves fastest and rises about 50 minutes later each day.
Why does a time show another date?
The page follows the night that starts on the evening of the chosen date. A rise, highest point or set after midnight belongs to the next date, so it carries that date.
Do the times include hills and buildings?
No. They are for a flat horizon. Hills, trees and buildings make a body rise later and set earlier than the page shows.
How do I find it in the sky?
Use the direction and height at its best time, then the finder charts further down to place it among the stars. The 3D sky shows it from your place at any time of the night.
Related guides
- Moon phases explainedThe Moon is always half lit by the Sun. What changes is how much of that lit half we see from Earth.
- Lunar eclipses: what they are and how to watchEarth's shadow falls on the full Moon. It is safe to watch with your eyes, binoculars or a telescope.
- Altitude and azimuth: finding things in the skyTwo angles tell you exactly where to look: which direction, and how high.
- Binoculars for stargazing: what to buy and what to look atA pair of 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars shows the craters of the Moon, the moons of Jupiter, dozens of star clusters and the Andromeda Galaxy, for a fraction of the cost of a telescope.