The Moon on this date
Moon on Monday, December 21, 1981
Waning Crescent
18.8% illuminated · waning
Shown at midday from Columbus, US.
Rise, set and path
Times for Columbus, US
- Moonrise
- E
- Highest
- 40°
- Moonset
- W
60°30°
Horizon
3:15 AM
2:32 PM
40°
Key figures
- Illuminated
- 18.8%
- Age
- 25.1 days
- Distance
- 404,200 km
- Apparent size
- 29.6′
- Constellation
- Libra
- Lunation number
- 729
Events on this date
-
Moon and Jupiter close together
They pass 4.0° apart in the sky.
-
December solstice
The shortest day in the northern hemisphere and the longest in the southern.
Exact values
For Dec 21, 12:00 PM, midday on this date.
| Elongation from the Sun | 308.90° |
|---|---|
| Phase angle | 128.60° |
| Illuminated fraction | 18.81% |
| Altitude / azimuth | 24.9° / 229.8° |
| Right ascension / declination | 14h 32m / -9.61° |
| Ecliptic longitude / latitude | 218.66° / 5.04° |
| Libration in longitude / latitude | 3.94° / -5.78° |
| Sub-solar longitude / latitude | -124.62° / 0.61° |
| Position angle of the axis | 18.1° |
| Position angle of the bright limb | 111.9° |
| Apparent magnitude | -8.2 |
Directions are good to about a hundredth of a degree and the distance to about 50 km; more digits would not mean anything.