What is the moon phase tonight?
The moon is in the waxing crescent phase and is 2 days old in its lunar cycle on April 29, 2025. It is 5% illuminated. It is the second day after the new moon. It appears as a curved sickle shape in the sky. In the northern hemisphere, the right side of the moon is visible, and in the southern hemisphere, the left side of the moon is visible.
On this day, the moon rises in the east around a couple of hours after sunrise and sets in the west around a couple of hours after sunset. It is visible near the western horizon after sunset. It shines with a magnitude of -9.9 and is located in the zodiac constellation Taurus, the Bull.
Moon phases in order
The moon takes about 27.322 days to orbit Earth relative to the background stars, called the sidereal month.
However, the moon takes about 29.531 days to orbit Earth relative to the sun, called the synodic month. The moon takes the extra time (2.2 days) as Earth also moves in its orbit around the sun.
That’s why the moon takes about 29.531 days to travel from one new moon to the next new moon. This is called a lunar cycle.
In a lunar cycle, the moon goes through the following phases in order: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent.
Waxing crescent moon in April 2025
The duration of waxing crescent moon will be from April 28 to May 3, 2025, when the illuminated area of the moon will increase from 0% to 50%.
It is the duration when the moon passes from new moon to first quarter moon (half-moon).
A waxing crescent moon rises in the morning, reaches its highest point in the sky in the afternoon, and sets in the evening.
First quarter moon in May 2025
The moment of first quarter moon will fall on May 4, 2025, at 13:52 UTC (9:52 a.m. EDT), when the moon will be 50% illuminated.
It is the moment when the moon passes a quarter of the way in its orbit around Earth. According to the definition of an almanac, the first quarter moon occurs when the ecliptic longitudes of the moon and sun differ by 90°.
A first quarter moon rises around noon, reaches its highest point in the sky around sunset, and sets around midnight.
Waxing gibbous moon in May 2025
The duration of waxing gibbous moon will be from May 5 to 11, 2025, when the illuminated area of the moon will increase from 50% to 100%.
It is the duration when the moon passes from first quarter moon (half-moon) to full moon.
A waxing gibbous moon rises in the afternoon, reaches its highest point in the sky in the evening, and sets after midnight.
Full moon in May 2025
The moment of full moon will fall on May 12, 2025, at 16:56 UTC (12:56 p.m. EDT), when the moon will be 100% illuminated.
It is the moment when the sun and moon are on opposite sides of Earth. According to the definition of an almanac, the full moon occurs when the ecliptic longitudes of the moon and sun differ by 180°.
A full moon rises around sunset, reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight, and sets around sunrise.
Waning gibbous moon in May 2025
The duration of waning gibbous moon will be from May 13 to 19, 2025, when the illuminated area of the moon will decrease from 100% to 50%.
It is the duration when the moon passes from full moon to third quarter moon (half-moon).
A waning gibbous moon rises in the evening, reaches its highest point in the sky after midnight, and sets in the morning.
Third quarter moon in May 2025
The moment of third quarter moon will fall on May 20, 2025, at 11:59 UTC (7:59 a.m. EDT), when the moon will be 50% illuminated.
It is the moment when the moon passes three quarters of the way in its orbit around Earth. According to the definition of an almanac, the third quarter moon occurs when the ecliptic longitudes of the moon and sun differ by 270°.
A third quarter moon rises around midnight, reaches its highest point in the sky around sunrise, and sets around noon.
Waning crescent moon in May 2025
The duration of waning crescent moon will be from May 21 to 26, 2025, when the illuminated area of the moon will decrease from 50% to 0%.
It is the duration when the moon passes from third quarter moon (half-moon) to new moon.
A waning crescent moon rises after midnight, reaches its highest point in the sky in the morning, and sets in the afternoon.
New moon in May 2025
The moment of new moon will fall on May 27, 2025, at 03:02 UTC (11:02 p.m. EDT on May 26), when the moon will be 0% illuminated.
It is the moment when the moon passes between the sun and Earth in its orbit. According to the definition of an almanac, the new moon occurs when the ecliptic longitudes of the moon and sun are equal.
A new moon is invisible in the sky because the side of the moon that faces Earth gets no sunlight.
A new moon rises around sunrise, reaches its highest point in the sky around noon, and sets around sunset.
Moon phases for 2025
According to NASA’s SKYCAL, here is the moon phase calendar for 2025. Dates and times are given in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
| New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Third Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | January 6, 23:56 | January 13, 22:27 | January 21, 20:31 |
| January 29, 12:36 | February 5, 08:02 | February 12, 13:53 | February 20, 17:33 |
| February 28, 00:45 | March 6, 16:32 | March 14, 06:55 | March 22, 11:30 |
| March 29, 10:58 | April 5, 02:15 | April 13, 00:22 | April 21, 01:36 |
| April 27, 19:31 | May 4, 13:52 | May 12, 16:56 | May 20, 11:59 |
| May 27, 03:02 | June 3, 03:41 | June 11, 07:44 | June 18, 19:19 |
| June 25, 10:31 | July 2, 19:30 | July 10, 20:37 | July 18, 00:38 |
| July 24, 19:11 | August 1, 12:41 | August 9, 07:55 | August 16, 05:12 |
| August 23, 06:06 | August 31, 06:25 | September 7, 18:09 | September 14, 10:33 |
| September 21, 19:54 | September 29, 23:54 | October 7, 03:47 | October 13, 18:13 |
| October 21, 12:25 | October 29, 16:21 | November 5, 13:19 | November 12, 05:28 |
| November 20, 06:47 | November 28, 06:59 | December 4, 23:14 | December 11, 20:52 |
| December 20, 01:43 | December 27, 19:10 | — | — |
References
Moon Phase and Libration, 2025
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