First Quarter Moon Phase

What is a first quarter moon? The first quarter moon, sometimes known as a half moon, is defined to occur when the excess of the apparent ecliptic (celestial) longitude of the Moon over that of the Sun is 90 degrees. This means that one-half of the Moon appears to be illuminated by direct sunlight and the fraction of the Moon’s disk that is illuminated is increasing. Each new lunar cycle is measured beginning at each new moon and the first quarter moon occurs when the Moon is one-quarter of the way around the sky (i.e., along its orbit) from new moon.

First Quarter Moon Dates / Next First Quarter Moon

When is the next first quarter moon? A first quarter moon comes a week after new moon. The average calendrical month, which is 1/12 of a year, is about 30.44 days, while the Moon’s phase (synodic) cycle repeats on average every 29.53 days. Therefore the timing of the Moon’s phases shifts by an average of almost one day for each successive month. To find out the first quarter moon dates, please see the first quarter moon calendar below.

First Quarter Moon and The Moon Phases

First Quarter Moon

First Quarter Moon

The first quarter moon (often called a “half moon”), happens when the moon is at a 90 degree angle with respect to the Earth and Sun. So we are seeing exactly half of the moon illuminated and half in shadow.Each lunar cycle begins with a new moon. As the Moon moves eastward away from the Sun in the sky, we see a bit more of the sunlit side of the Moon each night. We call this waxing. After the new moon, the sunlit portion is increasing, but less than half illuminated, so it is a waxing crescent moon. When half of the Moon’s disc is illuminated, we call it the first quarter moon. As the sunlit portion continues to increase, now more than half illuminated, it becomes waxing gibbous moon. When the Moon reaches maximum illumination, a full moon, the Moon has completed one half of the lunar month.During the second half of the lunar month, the Moon grows thinner each night. We call this waning. The waning gibbous moon phase occurs first, followed by the last quarter moon when half of the Moon’s disc is illuminated. Next is the waning crescent moon, which wanes until the illumination is completely gone; a new moon.

First Quarter Moon Calendar 2020

The first quarter moon calendar for 2020 is expressed in Coordinated Universal Time (UT), the international basis for other time zones. A first quarter moon rises at noon and is high overhead at sunset. It sets around midnight. Astronomers call one lunar cycle a lunation. For first quarter moon times in your city, please use the Time Zone Converter. You may also simply subtract five (5) hours to get to U.S. Eastern Time.
Full MoonYearDateTimeDay
Wolf Moon2020Jan 1019:21Mon
Snow Moon2020Feb 907:33Tue
Worm Moon2020Mar 917:48Thu
Pink Moon2020Apr 802:35Sat
Flower Moon2020May 710:45Mon
Strawberry Moon2020Jun 519:12Tue
Buck Moon2020Jul 504:44Thu
Sturgeon Moon2020Aug 315:59Sat
Harvest Moon2020Sep 205:22Mon
Hunters Moon2020Oct 121:05Tue
Blue Moon2020Oct 3114:49Fri
Beaver Moon2020Nov 3009:30Wed
Cold Moon2020Dec 3003:28Fri

Popular Full Moon Calendars

Some popular full moon calendars, in addition to the 2025 Full Moon Calendar, include the following: Moon Calendar 2011,Moon Calendar 2012, Moon Calendar 2013, Moon Calendar 2014, Moon Calendar 2015, Moon Calendar 2016, Moon Calendar 2017, Moon Calendar 2018, Moon Calendar 2019, Moon Calendar 2020, Moon Calendar 2021, Moon Calendar 2022, Moon Calendar 2020, Moon Calendar 2023, Moon Calendar 2024, Moon Calendar 2025.
You can also check out our Full Moon Calendar, Lunar Calendar, Lunar Eclipse Calendar and Solar Eclipse Calendar!

Full Moon Names History

Full Moon Calendar 2025

Full Moon Names
Full Moon names have been used by many cultures to describe the full moon throughout the year. Specifically, Native American tribes used moon phases and cycles to keep track of the seasons by giving a distinctive name to each recurring full moon, including the Flower Moon. The unique full moon names were used to identify the entire month during which each occurred.
Although many Native American tribes gave distinct names to the full moon, the most well known full moon names come from the Algonquin tribes who lived in the area of New England and westward to Lake Superior. The Algonquin tribes had perhaps the greatest effect on the early European settlers in America, and the settlers adopted the Native American habit of naming the full moons.