ChronoWaves
Moonrise, Moonset & Visibility
Choose a date and place to see when the Moon appears, reaches its highest point and slips below the horizon.
Your coordinates are used only to calculate these times; ChronoWaves does not save them. The UTC offset starts with your browser's local value—adjust it when checking somewhere in another time zone.
Moon phase
illuminated
24-hour visibility chart
Dark blue indicates night; the gold band shows daylight. Moon markers use your local time.
Times use ChronoWaves astronomical calculations, with event data from the U.S. Naval Observatory when available. Times are estimates and may be unavailable when an object remains above or below the horizon.
Why Moon times change from day to day
Earth's rotation carries the Moon across our sky, but the Moon is also travelling eastward around Earth. We therefore have to rotate a little farther before it returns to the same part of the sky. On average, moonrise occurs about 50 minutes later each day, although the real change varies with date and location.
What does Moon highest mean?
This is the Moon's upper transit: the moment it crosses your local north-to-south meridian. At low and middle latitudes it is normally close to the Moon's highest position in the sky, often making it a useful time to look.
Phase hints at the time
A new Moon rises and sets roughly with the Sun. A first-quarter Moon rises around midday, a full Moon around sunset, and a last-quarter Moon around midnight. The pattern is a guide rather than a replacement for local times.
The Moon can be up by day
Moonrise and moonset can occur at any hour, so a daytime Moon is completely normal. Whether you can spot it also depends on its illuminated phase, clear air, glare, buildings and the shape of your local horizon.
Why a time may be missing
The lunar day is longer than our 24-hour civil day, so occasionally there is no moonrise or no moonset between one midnight and the next. At high latitudes the Moon may also remain above or below the horizon for an extended period.
Learn more from NASA's Moon phase guide, NASA's skywatching FAQ and the U.S. Naval Observatory's rise, set and transit definitions.