The Moon in February 2026
In February 2026 the Moon goes through four main phases: full moon on February 1, last quarter on February 9, new moon on February 17 and first quarter on February 24. The full moon, traditionally called the Snow Moon, comes on Sunday, February 1 at 5:09 PM ET (10:09 PM UTC). The new moon falls on Tuesday, February 17 at 7:01 AM ET.
On February 1 the Moon is a full moon, 99% lit. By February 28 it is a waxing gibbous, 94% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full moon | Sunday, February 1 | 5:09 PM | Feb 1, 10:09 PM |
| Last quarter | Monday, February 9 | 7:43 AM | Feb 9, 12:43 PM |
| New moon | Tuesday, February 17 | 7:01 AM | Feb 17, 12:01 PM |
| First quarter | Tuesday, February 24 | 7:28 AM | Feb 24, 12:28 PM |
February 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Feb 1 | Full moon | 100% | Descending | 5:04 PM | 7:07 AM |
| Mon, Feb 2 | Waning Gibbous | 99% | Descending | 6:18 PM | 7:38 AM |
| Tue, Feb 3 | Waning Gibbous | 96% | Descending | 7:29 PM | 8:04 AM |
| Wed, Feb 4 | Waning Gibbous | 91% | Descending | 8:37 PM | 8:27 AM |
| Thu, Feb 5 | Waning Gibbous | 84% | Descending | 9:42 PM | 8:48 AM |
| Fri, Feb 6 | Waning Gibbous | 76% | Descending | 10:46 PM | 9:09 AM |
| Sat, Feb 7 | Waning Gibbous | 67% | Descending | 11:49 PM | 9:31 AM |
| Sun, Feb 8 | Waning Gibbous | 58% | Descending | none | 9:55 AM |
| Mon, Feb 9 | Last quarter | 48% | Descending | 12:53 AM | 10:23 AM |
| Tue, Feb 10 | Waning Crescent | 39% | Descending | 1:56 AM | 10:57 AM |
| Wed, Feb 11 | Waning Crescent | 30% | Descending | 2:57 AM | 11:39 AM |
| Thu, Feb 12 | Waning Crescent | 22% | Ascending | 3:53 AM | 12:28 PM |
| Fri, Feb 13 | Waning Crescent | 14% | Ascending | 4:43 AM | 1:26 PM |
| Sat, Feb 14 | Waning Crescent | 8% | Ascending | 5:26 AM | 2:30 PM |
| Sun, Feb 15 | Waning Crescent | 4% | Ascending | 6:01 AM | 3:38 PM |
| Mon, Feb 16 | Waning Crescent | 1% | Ascending | 6:31 AM | 4:46 PM |
| Tue, Feb 17 | New moon | 0% | Ascending | 6:57 AM | 5:56 PM |
| Wed, Feb 18 | Waxing Crescent | 2% | Ascending | 7:20 AM | 7:05 PM |
| Thu, Feb 19 | Waxing Crescent | 6% | Ascending | 7:42 AM | 8:15 PM |
| Fri, Feb 20 | Waxing Crescent | 12% | Ascending | 8:05 AM | 9:26 PM |
| Sat, Feb 21 | Waxing Crescent | 20% | Ascending | 8:29 AM | 10:40 PM |
| Sun, Feb 22 | Waxing Crescent | 30% | Ascending | 8:58 AM | 11:56 PM |
| Mon, Feb 23 | Waxing Crescent | 41% | Ascending | 9:32 AM | none |
| Tue, Feb 24 | First quarter | 52% | Ascending | 10:15 AM | 1:12 AM |
| Wed, Feb 25 | Waxing Gibbous | 64% | Ascending | 11:09 AM | 2:25 AM |
| Thu, Feb 26 | Waxing Gibbous | 74% | Descending | 12:14 PM | 3:29 AM |
| Fri, Feb 27 | Waxing Gibbous | 83% | Descending | 1:27 PM | 4:22 AM |
| Sat, Feb 28 | Waxing Gibbous | 91% | Descending | 2:43 PM | 5:04 AM |
Distance and height in the sky
The Moon is closest to Earth (perigee) on February 24, at 370,132 km. It is farthest (apogee) on February 10, at 404,575 km.
The month starts with a descending Moon. It reaches its lowest path on February 12 (28.4° south) and starts to ascend again. It reaches its highest path on February 25 (declination 28.4° north) and then descends. A high declination means the Moon rides high in the sky and stays up longer, as seen from the United States.
Annular solar eclipse on February 17
Greatest eclipse: 7:12 AM ET (12:12 PM UTC), according to NASA. The “ring of fire” is visible only from Antarctica.
Why it is called the Snow Moon
The name comes from the almanac tradition of the northeastern United States: February is often the snowiest month in the northern United States. 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.