The Moon
The Moon is a 24-day-old waning crescent, and is approaching new moon. From Ashburn, it is visible in the dawn sky, rising at 02:36 (EDT) – 3 hours and 12 minutes before the Sun – and reaching an altitude of 27° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks around 05:29.
22 May 2022 | – Moon at Last Quarter |
30 May 2022 | – New Moon |
07 Jun 2022 | – Moon at First Quarter |
14 Jun 2022 | – Full Moon |

The Moon at First Quarter. Simulated image courtesy of Tom Ruen.
The Moon is the Earth's only natural satellite, orbiting it once every 27.3 days, at a distance of 380,000 km (0.00254 astronomical units).
It has almost exactly the same angular size as the Sun – roughly half a degree – a coincidence which means it can occasionally completely cover the Sun's disk to generate a total solar eclipse, but with so little margin that the geometry has to be absolutely exact.
The Moon is the only heavenly body on which surface features can be resolved by the unaided eye. Its mottled pattern of light and dark areas represent two distinct types of terrain. The dark areas are called maria – originally so named because they were thought to be oceans of water, but they are now known to be vast flat volcanic planes. Between the maria, the lighter colored terrain is considerably rougher and more mountainous – the lunar highlands.
To bring the Moon's heavily cratered surface into view, nothing more expensive than a cheap pair of binoculars is needed.
Dates of the Moon's phases
The table below lists the phases of the Moon in 2022, computed from NASA's DE430 planetary ephemeris. To show events in other years, use the control below.
The Moons phases in 2022
Date | Event | Moon's declination |
Date | Event | Moon's declination |
02 Jan 2022 13:34 EST | New Moon | 26°17'S |
09 Jan 2022 13:11 EST | Moon at First Quarter | 4°21'N |
17 Jan 2022 18:48 EST | Full Moon | 24°51'N |
25 Jan 2022 08:41 EST | Moon at Last Quarter | 11°20'S |
01 Feb 2022 00:47 EST | New Moon | 21°48'S |
08 Feb 2022 08:50 EST | Moon at First Quarter | 16°54'N |
16 Feb 2022 11:56 EST | Full Moon | 16°57'N |
23 Feb 2022 17:33 EST | Moon at Last Quarter | 21°54'S |
02 Mar 2022 12:36 EST | New Moon | 11°34'S |
10 Mar 2022 05:46 EST | Moon at First Quarter | 25°10'N |
18 Mar 2022 03:17 EDT | Full Moon | 4°55'N |
25 Mar 2022 01:37 EDT | Moon at Last Quarter | 26°44'S |
01 Apr 2022 02:25 EDT | New Moon | 1°16'N |
09 Apr 2022 02:48 EDT | Moon at First Quarter | 26°22'N |
16 Apr 2022 14:54 EDT | Full Moon | 8°04'S |
23 Apr 2022 07:56 EDT | Moon at Last Quarter | 24°18'S |
30 Apr 2022 16:29 EDT | New Moon | 13°49'N |
08 May 2022 20:22 EDT | Moon at First Quarter | 20°25'N |
16 May 2022 00:14 EDT | Full Moon | 19°15'S |
22 May 2022 14:43 EDT | Moon at Last Quarter | 15°51'S |
30 May 2022 07:31 EDT | New Moon | 23°14'N |
07 Jun 2022 10:49 EDT | Moon at First Quarter | 9°41'N |
14 Jun 2022 07:51 EDT | Full Moon | 25°57'S |
20 Jun 2022 23:11 EDT | Moon at Last Quarter | 3°59'S |
28 Jun 2022 22:53 EDT | New Moon | 26°54'N |
06 Jul 2022 22:14 EDT | Moon at First Quarter | 3°00'S |
13 Jul 2022 14:37 EDT | Full Moon | 26°09'S |
20 Jul 2022 10:19 EDT | Moon at Last Quarter | 8°48'N |
28 Jul 2022 13:56 EDT | New Moon | 23°38'N |
05 Aug 2022 07:07 EDT | Moon at First Quarter | 15°12'S |
11 Aug 2022 21:35 EDT | Full Moon | 19°51'S |
19 Aug 2022 00:36 EDT | Moon at Last Quarter | 19°59'N |
27 Aug 2022 04:18 EDT | New Moon | 14°34'N |
03 Sep 2022 14:08 EDT | Moon at First Quarter | 24°15'S |
10 Sep 2022 05:58 EDT | Full Moon | 8°55'S |
17 Sep 2022 17:52 EDT | Moon at Last Quarter | 26°39'N |
25 Sep 2022 17:55 EDT | New Moon | 2°07'N |
02 Oct 2022 20:14 EDT | Moon at First Quarter | 27°23'S |
09 Oct 2022 16:54 EDT | Full Moon | 4°11'N |
17 Oct 2022 13:15 EDT | Moon at Last Quarter | 26°11'N |
25 Oct 2022 06:49 EDT | New Moon | 11°05'S |
01 Nov 2022 02:37 EDT | Moon at First Quarter | 23°12'S |
08 Nov 2022 06:02 EST | Full Moon | 16°46'N |
16 Nov 2022 08:27 EST | Moon at Last Quarter | 18°27'N |
23 Nov 2022 17:58 EST | New Moon | 22°02'S |
30 Nov 2022 09:37 EST | Moon at First Quarter | 12°56'S |
07 Dec 2022 23:08 EST | Full Moon | 25°28'N |
16 Dec 2022 03:56 EST | Moon at Last Quarter | 5°53'N |
23 Dec 2022 05:17 EST | New Moon | 27°18'S |
29 Dec 2022 20:21 EST | Moon at First Quarter | 0°34'N |