How to Calculate the Time of Moonrise Today
Have you ever wondered what time will the Moon rise today? Unlike the Sun, the Moon rises at varying times of the day and night! Enjoy our lunar puzzle and our fun Moon poem to know when the Moon will rise! Plus, find out why we can see the Moon during the day.
What is the Definition of Moonrise?
Moonrise is defined as the moment when the upper edge of the Moon’s disk touches the horizon.
Finding Moonrise Times
- Moonrise (and, incidentally, ) occurs about 50 minutes later each day than the day before.
- To determine the moonrise time for each day of the month, add 50 minutes each day after a phase or subtract 50 minutes each day before a new phase.
- In following the chart below, care must be taken when using the terms Moon and midnight. These are affected by adjustments for daylight saving time and, to a lesser degree, by one’s longitude in a particular time zone. (Sunrise and sunset are definitive times regardless of people tampering with the clock.)
Moonrise Chart
Folks who enjoy the outdoors and the wonders of nature may wish to commit to memorizing the words on our handy chart below.
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.png){kind=small} | The new Moon always rises near sunrise. |
.png){kind=small} | The first quarter Moon always rises near noon. |
.png){kind=small} | The full Moon always rises near sunset. |
.png){kind=small} | The last quarter Moon always rises near midnight. |
Moonrise Calculator
Of course, you can always check the ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË’s Moonrise calculator for the exact times in your zip code!
Why Is the New Moon Invisible?
The new Moon is invisible because it is approximately between Earth and the Sun, so the dark half of the Moon faces us, and the sunlit half faces the Sun. (Sometimes, the new Moon is directly in front of the Sun, in which case we would see a solar eclipse.)
One or two days after the date of the new Moon, we can see it in the western sky as a thin crescent setting just after sunset.
Why Can We See the Moon During the Day?
Have you ever seen the Moon during the day? Like the stars and planets, the Moon is not simply a nighttime object. It’s there during the daytime, too.
One reason we can’t typically see the Moon during the day is because the Sun is so bright!
Another reason is that it depends on which phase it is in. As the Moon and Earth orbit, the Moon is only visible above the horizon roughly 12 hours out of every 24 hours. However, those 12 hours may not coincide with daylight hours, so for any chance of observing, there is only a tiny 6-hour timeframe.
The best Moon phases for seeing the Moon during daylight are the First and Last Quarters, when the Moon is 90 degrees away from the Sun in the sky. Near the New Moon, it’s too close to the Sun to be visible, and when it is near the full Moon, it is only visible at night after the Sun sets.
More Facts About the Moon
Are you a little confused about some of this Moon terminology? Check out our glossary of lunar terms.
Why does the Moon sometimes look so big when it’s rising? Find out!
Find out your Moonrise and set times and your Sunrise and set times.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Wrong. The New Moon is invisible because the side facing the Earth is completely UNLIT by the sun. At that time, the Sun is fully lighting the moon's FAR side. The Sun never blots out the Moon. Of course, the Moon can blot out the Sun occasionally, causing Solar eclipses
You are entirely correct. We apologize for the error and have updated the article. Thank you for your feedback!
Thank you very much for making the correction to the article, based on my post about the real cause of New Moon, and for doing so promptly, as well as informing me of the change.
Interesting. Thanks for the info. Somehow it made me wonder if starlight and electric light are enough to light the moon if there wasn't a sun at all. Imagine what the moon would look like lit by the aurora absent the suns light.
At what time did the moon rise
Has anyone seen moonbeams? 35 years ago I saw a phenomenon that was amazing. The full moon rose and as it was at the horizon hundreds, or more, beams of light, the size of a fluorescent bulb, shot across te sky. they were about 100 feet high., with a blue hue. People are rarely outside these days so it's easy to miss. I do't know the conditions for this to occur. I have returned to the spot on dozens of full moons and have been dissappointed each time.
I have seen those last year in no4 t h dakota. How is it caused? I've seen too many weird phenomena in the last couple years to even look anymore. It was just in the winter time but this year the moon jumps around. I've only seen what your talking about once around 3 am. It actually looked like every beam was focusing on a street light straight up in the air above the tops of them.
I'm not too sure what I see most often is the real moon anymore to be honest. I've watched the full moon set on top of a cell phone tower it's never on the right place in the sky maybe a few times a week. I don't believe that the stars are like our sun. On top of the tower there were lights I could only see out of the corner of my eye. I have watched shuttles slingshot off the moon too in 15 minute intervals I watched 5. It looks like a star rising from the moon and shooting off or dissappear ingredients only 1 at a time but for a minute there was 2. I find the angle of the sun and moon highly unbelievable if light moves in a straight line. Truth is there's no such thing as a straight line as all motion is relative the earth is as much the center of the universe as any other point. I believe our universe is shaped like a magnetic field. Like all energy I believe light circles back to the source.but i dont know anything.Why is it always the side half of th e moon th at we see?. If The earth turned on 3 axis instead of one it would look like one to us as lon as rhey areally balanced. I think the earth used to move half a spin on one axis. A third of a turn on another and a quarter turn on another. Hence why there are 13 moon phases in a year. A third minus a quarter is a twelfth. And a full rotation around the sun means it turned 13 times. Even the way scientists explain the earth would only spin 364.25 th times in the year the revolution around the Sun would be the 365th day
It feel good to gain knowledge and through this blog I am gaining a lot of informative knowledge. Recently, a huge disaster happens in Japan like earthquake and tsunami. Many scientists claims that it happens because moon is coming near to earth. Is it true?
Hello, Divya, The Moon's position may cause higher than usual tides but there is not a scientific connection between the Moon's position and extreme weather or Japan's earthquake. To quote NASA astronomer, "At the time of the earthquake in Japan, the moon was actually closer to its furthest point in orbit from Earth than it was to its March 19 closest point, so the gravitational effect of the moon was, in fact, less than average at that time. It was basically a normal day on Earth as far as the lunar gravity and tidal forces were concerned."
