The Moon in March 2026
In March 2026 the Moon goes through four main phases: full moon on March 3, last quarter on March 11, new moon on March 18 and first quarter on March 25. The full moon, traditionally called the Worm Moon, comes on Tuesday, March 3 at 6:38 AM ET (11:38 AM UTC). The new moon falls on Wednesday, March 18 at 9:24 PM ET.
On March 1 the Moon is a waxing gibbous, 94% lit. By March 31 it is a waxing gibbous, 99% 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 | Tuesday, March 3 | 6:38 AM | Mar 3, 11:38 AM |
| Last quarter | Wednesday, March 11 | 5:39 AM | Mar 11, 9:39 AM |
| New moon | Wednesday, March 18 | 9:24 PM | Mar 19, 1:24 AM |
| First quarter | Wednesday, March 25 | 3:18 PM | Mar 25, 7:18 PM |
March 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, Mar 1 | Waxing Gibbous | 96% | Descending | 3:57 PM | 5:38 AM |
| Mon, Mar 2 | Waxing Gibbous | 99% | Descending | 5:09 PM | 6:05 AM |
| Tue, Mar 3 | Full moon | 100% | Descending | 6:17 PM | 6:29 AM |
| Wed, Mar 4 | Waning Gibbous | 98% | Descending | 7:24 PM | 6:50 AM |
| Thu, Mar 5 | Waning Gibbous | 95% | Descending | 8:29 PM | 7:11 AM |
| Fri, Mar 6 | Waning Gibbous | 89% | Descending | 9:33 PM | 7:32 AM |
| Sat, Mar 7 | Waning Gibbous | 82% | Descending | 10:38 PM | 7:56 AM |
| Sun, Mar 8 | Waning Gibbous | 75% | Descending | none | 9:23 AM |
| Mon, Mar 9 | Waning Gibbous | 66% | Descending | 12:42 AM | 9:54 AM |
| Tue, Mar 10 | Waning Gibbous | 57% | Descending | 1:44 AM | 10:33 AM |
| Wed, Mar 11 | Last quarter | 48% | Descending | 2:43 AM | 11:19 AM |
| Thu, Mar 12 | Waning Crescent | 38% | Ascending | 3:35 AM | 12:13 PM |
| Fri, Mar 13 | Waning Crescent | 29% | Ascending | 4:20 AM | 1:13 PM |
| Sat, Mar 14 | Waning Crescent | 21% | Ascending | 4:58 AM | 2:19 PM |
| Sun, Mar 15 | Waning Crescent | 13% | Ascending | 5:30 AM | 3:27 PM |
| Mon, Mar 16 | Waning Crescent | 7% | Ascending | 5:58 AM | 4:36 PM |
| Tue, Mar 17 | Waning Crescent | 2% | Ascending | 6:22 AM | 5:46 PM |
| Wed, Mar 18 | New moon | 0% | Ascending | 6:45 AM | 6:57 PM |
| Thu, Mar 19 | Waxing Crescent | 1% | Ascending | 7:08 AM | 8:09 PM |
| Fri, Mar 20 | Waxing Crescent | 3% | Ascending | 7:32 AM | 9:24 PM |
| Sat, Mar 21 | Waxing Crescent | 9% | Ascending | 7:59 AM | 10:42 PM |
| Sun, Mar 22 | Waxing Crescent | 17% | Ascending | 8:32 AM | none |
| Mon, Mar 23 | Waxing Crescent | 26% | Ascending | 9:13 AM | 12:00 AM |
| Tue, Mar 24 | Waxing Crescent | 37% | Ascending | 10:05 AM | 1:16 AM |
| Wed, Mar 25 | First quarter | 49% | Descending | 11:07 AM | 2:24 AM |
| Thu, Mar 26 | Waxing Gibbous | 60% | Descending | 12:17 PM | 3:20 AM |
| Fri, Mar 27 | Waxing Gibbous | 70% | Descending | 1:31 PM | 4:05 AM |
| Sat, Mar 28 | Waxing Gibbous | 80% | Descending | 2:45 PM | 4:40 AM |
| Sun, Mar 29 | Waxing Gibbous | 88% | Descending | 3:55 PM | 5:08 AM |
| Mon, Mar 30 | Waxing Gibbous | 94% | Descending | 5:04 PM | 5:32 AM |
| Tue, Mar 31 | Waxing Gibbous | 98% | Descending | 6:09 PM | 5:54 AM |
Distance and height in the sky
The Moon is closest to Earth (perigee) on March 22, at 366,858 km. It is farthest (apogee) on March 10, at 404,386 km.
The month starts with a descending Moon. It reaches its lowest path on March 11 (28.4° south) and starts to ascend again. It reaches its highest path on March 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.
Total lunar eclipse on March 3
Greatest eclipse: 6:34 AM ET (11:34 AM UTC), according to NASA. Totality lasts about 58 minutes. It is fully visible from the Pacific, eastern Asia and northwestern North America; on the East Coast the Moon sets during the eclipse, at dawn.
Why it is called the Worm Moon
The name comes from the almanac tradition of the northeastern United States: earthworms come back to the surface as the ground thaws, and robins follow them. 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.