Moon Phase

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions photographers ask about lunar planning.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon falls on Friday, 01 May 2026 (Europe/Rome). Use the live calendar above to plan around it — the four nights surrounding full moon are best reserved for lunar, planetary or narrowband targets.

When is the next new moon?

The next new moon falls on Saturday, 16 May 2026 (Europe/Rome). The five nights centered on new moon are the optimal "dark-sky window" for deep-sky imaging — galaxies, faint nebulae and integrated flux nebulae all benefit from the lower sky background.

Why does moon phase matter for astrophotography?

The moon is the brightest natural source of sky background after twilight. Around full moon the sky background can rise by 3–4 magnitudes per square arcsecond, drowning faint nebulae. Around new moon it drops to its dark baseline, allowing 60–300 second sub-exposures on emission targets without saturating the background.

What does the percentage next to each phase mean?

It's the illuminated fraction of the visible disc. 0% = new moon (invisible), 50% = first or last quarter (half-disc lit), 100% = full moon. The number changes by roughly 3.4% per day during the lunar cycle.

Are the rise and set times for my location?

By default they are for the Astropixel observatory in Puglia, Italy. Use the "My location" toggle to switch to your own coordinates — your browser will request permission and the rise/set times will be recomputed in your timezone.

How accurate is the calendar?

Phase angle is computed using SunCalc-derived astronomical formulas with sub-arcminute precision over decades. Principal phase moments (new, first quarter, full, last quarter) are bisection-refined to ~1 second. For session planning this is far more accurate than needed.