Enter your date of birth to see which phase the Moon was in and how much of it was lit. Any day from 1900 to 2100.
Your birthday
The eight phases of the Moon
| Phase | In the sky |
|---|---|
| New moon | The Moon sits in the same direction as the Sun, with its lit face turned away from us. It crosses the daytime sky, lost in the glare of the Sun. |
| Waxing crescent | A thin crescent in the evening sky after sunset; each night it fills a little more and moves farther from the Sun. |
| First quarter | Half of the disc is lit. The Moon rises around noon and sets around midnight. |
| Waxing gibbous | More than half is lit, and growing. The Moon rises in the afternoon and stays up for most of the night. |
| Full moon | The Moon is opposite the Sun, with its whole face lit. It rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. |
| Waning gibbous | More than half is lit, but shrinking. The Moon rises after dusk and lingers into the morning sky. |
| Last quarter | The other half of the disc is lit. The Moon rises around midnight and sets around noon. |
| Waning crescent | A thin crescent low in the east before dawn; each morning it grows thinner and draws closer to the new moon. |
A Rhythm of Light
The Moon orbits Earth in a steady path. As it moves, the angle between our star and its companion shifts. This change creates familiar phases.
Eight distinct stages mark this journey. Each reflects a different portion of sunlight. The new moon begins the sequence with a dark face. Light returns slowly as a crescent, growing into a half-lit quarter.
Finally, the full circle shines brightest. Afterward, the glow fades back toward darkness.
Symbolic Meanings
Many traditions view these phases as metaphors for personal growth. A new moon might suggest fresh starts or quiet reflection. The waxing crescent often symbolizes building momentum. Full moons can represent clarity or emotional peaks.
Lore varies across cultures. Some see specific traits linked to each stage. These ideas offer gentle frameworks for self-inquiry. They do not predict outcomes. Instead, they invite you to consider where you stand in your own life’s rhythm.
How we calculate it
The phase of the Moon comes from the angle between the Sun and the Moon: at zero degrees it's a new moon, at 180 degrees a full moon. We calculate that angle with the method from Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms; the Moon in the CloudOmen app comes from the same calculation.
New moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter are moments in time. If that moment falls on the day you were born, the day takes the name of the phase; if not, the Moon is a crescent or gibbous. Without a time of birth, we use noon.
The calculation runs in your browser. Your date and time of birth are not sent to us, to a server or to an analytics tool; the link you share carries only the phase of the Moon.
Questions
- Why do I pick a city?
- The Moon is in the same phase everywhere, but the date depends on the time zone: a full moon close to midnight can fall on one day in New York and on the next in Berlin. Pick the city whose time is closest to where you were born.
- Why does the Moon look upside down in the southern hemisphere?
- Seen from the southern hemisphere, the Moon is upside down: a waxing moon fills from the left, not the right. If you choose São Paulo time, the disc is drawn that way.
- How precise is the result?
- New moon and full moon times match the tables published by the US Naval Observatory (USNO) to within a few minutes. The phase name and the lit share are sky data, not interpretation.
- What is the birth figure?
- The CloudOmen app has 16 figures people see in clouds. Your birth date falls on one of them; it's a game, not information from the sky.
- Does the lunar phase affect personality?
- No scientific evidence supports this link. Folklore uses phases as poetic symbols for reflection rather than factual determinants of character.