{"id":52987,"date":"2024-01-03T14:00:41","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T14:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/5d8156b9-166f-493b-8220-956e1be3ecbd"},"modified":"2024-01-03T14:32:35","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T14:32:35","slug":"moon-phases-and-moonrise-times-2024","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/moon-phases-and-moonrise-times-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Moon phases and Moonrise times 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dates for the Moon phases this year and timings for Moonrise every day. <\/p>

By Iain Todd\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 03 January 2024 at 14:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Find out what phase of the Moon is visible tonight and over the coming year with our guide to Moon phases and Moonrise times in 2024.<\/p>

The phases of the Moon are caused by the mechanics of the Earth-Moon-Sun system: how Earth orbits the Sun and how the Moon orbits Earth.<\/p>

Sometimes the Moon appears as a crescent, sometimes the Moon is full, sometimes it’s half lit, sometimes it’s not lit at all.<\/p>

A crescent Moon just appears to be a crescent because only a small portion of the lunar surface is lit, from our perspective on Earth. Credit: Nick Jackson<\/figcaption><\/figure>

These changes are caused by both the Moon’s position relative to the Earth, and the Earth and Moon’s position relative to the Sun, since it’s sunlight reflecting off the Moon that causes us to see a ‘lit’ portion.<\/p>

When describing the the phases of the Moon, ‘waxing’ refers to the progression from new Moon to full Moon, as the Moon’s sunlight portion seems to increase every night.<\/p>

‘Waning’ refers to the period from full Moon back to new Moon, as the Moon appears to lose more of its sunlit section every night.<\/p>

Quick links:<\/strong> jump to Moon phase dates 2024<\/a> and Moonrise times 2024<\/a><\/p>

Get lunar phases and times sent to your inbox every week by signing up to the BBC Sky at Night Magazine e-newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\"The
The phases of the Moon. Credit: Yaorusheng \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Stargazing around the Moon<\/strong><\/h2>

For the best views of deep-sky objects such as star clusters<\/a>, nebulae<\/a> and galaxies<\/a>, observe in the week around new Moon, when the sky is really dark.<\/p>

If your target is the Moon itself, pick a night when the terminator \u2013 the line that marks the boundary between day and night on the lunar surface \u2013 sits near the feature you want to see.<\/p>

At this time the area will be cast in long shadows, which emphasise subtle surface details and make views more dramatic.<\/p>

In the week around full Moon, its sunlit face is so bright the glare washes out the lunar landscape and makes deep-sky objects harder to view.<\/p>

\"When
When you observe the phases of the Moon, look out for the terminator, which is the line marking the lit and unlit portions of the lunar surface as seen from Earth. Credit: William Ian Hamilton<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Phases of the Moon terminology<\/strong><\/h2>

The phases of the Moon are as follows:<\/p>