The Moon in August 2026
In August 2026 the Moon goes through four main phases: last quarter on August 5, new moon on August 12, first quarter on August 19 and full moon on August 28. The full moon, traditionally called the Sturgeon Moon, comes on Friday, August 28 at 12:19 AM ET (4:19 AM UTC). The new moon falls on Wednesday, August 12 at 1:37 PM ET.
On August 1 the Moon is a waning gibbous, 94% lit. By August 31 it is a waning gibbous, 83% lit. All times on this page are Eastern Time (New York), rounded to the minute, with UTC alongside. The live tool at the top uses your own time zone.
| Phase | Date | Time (ET) | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last quarter | Wednesday, August 5 | 10:22 PM | Aug 6, 2:22 AM |
| New moon | Wednesday, August 12 | 1:37 PM | Aug 12, 5:37 PM |
| First quarter | Wednesday, August 19 | 10:46 PM | Aug 20, 2:46 AM |
| Full moon | Friday, August 28 | 12:19 AM | Aug 28, 4:19 AM |
August 2026 moon calendar, day by day
Phase and lit share at noon in New York, the Moon’s direction in the sky, then moonrise and moonset in New York. “None” means the Moon does not rise (or set) that calendar day.
| Day | Phase | Lit | Moon | Rise | Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Aug 1 | Waning Gibbous | 91% | Ascending | 9:42 PM | 8:51 AM |
| Sun, Aug 2 | Waning Gibbous | 84% | Ascending | 10:03 PM | 9:56 AM |
| Mon, Aug 3 | Waning Gibbous | 76% | Ascending | 10:26 PM | 11:03 AM |
| Tue, Aug 4 | Waning Gibbous | 66% | Ascending | 10:51 PM | 12:12 PM |
| Wed, Aug 5 | Last quarter | 55% | Ascending | 11:22 PM | 1:25 PM |
| Thu, Aug 6 | Waning Crescent | 44% | Ascending | none | 2:40 PM |
| Fri, Aug 7 | Waning Crescent | 32% | Ascending | 12:00 AM | 3:55 PM |
| Sat, Aug 8 | Waning Crescent | 22% | Ascending | 12:50 AM | 5:05 PM |
| Sun, Aug 9 | Waning Crescent | 13% | Descending | 1:52 AM | 6:06 PM |
| Mon, Aug 10 | Waning Crescent | 6% | Descending | 3:05 AM | 6:55 PM |
| Tue, Aug 11 | Waning Crescent | 2% | Descending | 4:24 AM | 7:34 PM |
| Wed, Aug 12 | New moon | 0% | Descending | 5:43 AM | 8:05 PM |
| Thu, Aug 13 | Waxing Crescent | 1% | Descending | 7:00 AM | 8:31 PM |
| Fri, Aug 14 | Waxing Crescent | 5% | Descending | 8:12 AM | 8:54 PM |
| Sat, Aug 15 | Waxing Crescent | 11% | Descending | 9:22 AM | 9:17 PM |
| Sun, Aug 16 | Waxing Crescent | 18% | Descending | 10:30 AM | 9:39 PM |
| Mon, Aug 17 | Waxing Crescent | 27% | Descending | 11:36 AM | 10:03 PM |
| Tue, Aug 18 | Waxing Crescent | 36% | Descending | 12:42 PM | 10:31 PM |
| Wed, Aug 19 | First quarter | 46% | Descending | 1:47 PM | 11:03 PM |
| Thu, Aug 20 | Waxing Gibbous | 55% | Descending | 2:50 PM | 11:41 PM |
| Fri, Aug 21 | Waxing Gibbous | 65% | Descending | 3:48 PM | none |
| Sat, Aug 22 | Waxing Gibbous | 73% | Ascending | 4:40 PM | 12:27 AM |
| Sun, Aug 23 | Waxing Gibbous | 81% | Ascending | 5:25 PM | 1:20 AM |
| Mon, Aug 24 | Waxing Gibbous | 88% | Ascending | 6:03 PM | 2:20 AM |
| Tue, Aug 25 | Waxing Gibbous | 94% | Ascending | 6:34 PM | 3:23 AM |
| Wed, Aug 26 | Waxing Gibbous | 98% | Ascending | 7:01 PM | 4:29 AM |
| Thu, Aug 27 | Waxing Gibbous | 100% | Ascending | 7:25 PM | 5:35 AM |
| Fri, Aug 28 | Full moon | 100% | Ascending | 7:47 PM | 6:40 AM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | Waning Gibbous | 98% | Ascending | 8:09 PM | 7:47 AM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | Waning Gibbous | 93% | Ascending | 8:31 PM | 8:54 AM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | Waning Gibbous | 87% | Ascending | 8:56 PM | 10:03 AM |
Distance and height in the sky
The Moon is closest to Earth (perigee) on August 10, at 363,285 km. It is farthest (apogee) on August 22, at 404,644 km.
The month starts with a rising Moon. It reaches its highest path on August 8 (declination 28.1° north) and then descends. It reaches its lowest path on August 22 (28.1° south) and starts to ascend again. A high declination means the Moon rides high in the sky and stays up longer, as seen from the United States.
Total solar eclipse on August 12
Greatest eclipse: 1:46 PM ET (5:46 PM UTC), according to NASA. Totality crosses Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain; most of Europe sees a partial eclipse in the evening.
Partial lunar eclipse on August 28
Greatest eclipse: 12:13 AM ET (4:13 AM UTC), according to NASA. About 93% of the Moon enters Earth’s shadow. It is visible across the Americas; in New York the Moon is high in the sky around 12:13 AM EDT.
Why it is called the Sturgeon Moon
The name comes from the almanac tradition of the northeastern United States: sturgeon were easiest to catch in the Great Lakes in late summer. These names were popularized in the 1930s by the Maine Farmers’ Almanac, which presented them as Native American names.
Next: the following month. Before: the previous month. See all the full moons of 2026, or sunrise and sunset times for any city.