The Moon on this date
Moon on Monday, December 20, 1976
New Moon
0.3% illuminated · waning
Shown at midday from Columbus, US.
Rise, set and path
Times for Columbus, US
- Moonrise
- SE
- Highest
- 30°
- Moonset
- SW
60°30°
Horizon
7:04 AM
5:11 PM
30°
Key figures
- Illuminated
- 0.3%
- Age
- 29.1 days
- Distance
- 362,200 km
- Apparent size
- 33.0′
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Lunation number
- 667
Events on this date
-
Mercury at greatest elongation
20° from the Sun in the evening sky, its best showing after sunset.
-
Moon and Mars close together
They pass 4.4° apart in the sky.
-
New Moon
The Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and cannot be seen. These are the darkest nights of the month.
Exact values
For Dec 20, 12:00 PM, midday on this date.
| Elongation from the Sun | 354.73° |
|---|---|
| Phase angle | 173.37° |
| Illuminated fraction | 0.33% |
| Altitude / azimuth | 29.9° / 177.9° |
| Right ascension / declination | 17h 33m / -19.30° |
| Ecliptic longitude / latitude | 263.69° / 4.00° |
| Libration in longitude / latitude | 2.49° / -4.35° |
| Sub-solar longitude / latitude | -172.26° / 1.29° |
| Position angle of the axis | 3.5° |
| Position angle of the bright limb | 123.6° |
| Apparent magnitude | -4.8 |
Directions are good to about a hundredth of a degree and the distance to about 50 km; more digits would not mean anything.