The Moon on this date
Moon on Sunday, December 20, 1987
New Moon
0.2% illuminated · waning
Shown at midday from Columbus, US.
Rise, set and path
Times for Columbus, US
- Moonrise
- SE
- Highest
- 21°
- Moonset
- SW
60°30°
Horizon
8:03 AM
4:49 PM
21°
Key figures
- Illuminated
- 0.2%
- Age
- 29.4 days
- Distance
- 363,800 km
- Apparent size
- 32.8′
- Constellation
- Sagittarius
- Lunation number
- 803
Events on this date
-
Mercury, Moon, Saturn, and Uranus gathered
All within 6.1° of each other in the sky.
-
Moon and Mercury close together
They pass 3.7° apart in the sky.
-
Moon and Uranus close together
They pass 4.8° 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.
-
Mercury and Uranus close together
They pass 1.2° apart in the sky.
Exact values
For Dec 20, 12:00 PM, midday on this date.
| Elongation from the Sun | 359.18° |
|---|---|
| Phase angle | 174.92° |
| Illuminated fraction | 0.20% |
| Altitude / azimuth | 20.5° / 174.0° |
| Right ascension / declination | 17h 48m / -28.42° |
| Ecliptic longitude / latitude | 267.45° / -5.00° |
| Libration in longitude / latitude | -3.25° / 7.45° |
| Sub-solar longitude / latitude | 177.46° / -1.51° |
| Position angle of the axis | 1.1° |
| Position angle of the bright limb | 8.0° |
| Apparent magnitude | -4.6 |
Directions are good to about a hundredth of a degree and the distance to about 50 km; more digits would not mean anything.