The Moon on this date
Moon on Sunday, December 31, 1972
Waning Crescent
13.6% illuminated · waning
Shown at midday from Columbus, US.
Rise, set and path
Times for Columbus, US
- Moonrise
- SE
- Highest
- 26°
- Moonset
- SW
60°30°
Horizon
4:34 AM
2:03 PM
26°
Key figures
- Illuminated
- 13.6%
- Age
- 25.9 days
- Distance
- 405,900 km
- Apparent size
- 29.4′
- Constellation
- Libra
- Lunation number
- 618
Events on this date
-
Apogee
The Moon's farthest point from Earth on this orbit: 405,900 km.
-
Moon and Mars close together
They pass 4.1° apart in the sky.
Exact values
For Dec 31, 12:00 PM, midday on this date.
| Elongation from the Sun | 316.97° |
|---|---|
| Phase angle | 136.71° |
| Illuminated fraction | 13.60% |
| Altitude / azimuth | 16.4° / 216.6° |
| Right ascension / declination | 15h 35m / -23.44° |
| Ecliptic longitude / latitude | 237.12° / -4.04° |
| Libration in longitude / latitude | 1.51° / 6.08° |
| Sub-solar longitude / latitude | -135.21° / -0.19° |
| Position angle of the axis | 14.8° |
| Position angle of the bright limb | 98.6° |
| Apparent magnitude | -7.7 |
Directions are good to about a hundredth of a degree and the distance to about 50 km; more digits would not mean anything.