The Moon on this date
Moon on Thursday, March 20, 1997
Waxing Gibbous
89.4% illuminated · waxing
Shown at midday from Columbus, US.
Rise, set and path
Times for Columbus, US
- Moonrise
- E
- Highest
- 59°
- Moonset
- W
60°30°
Horizon
3:43 PM
4:40 AM
59°
Key figures
- Illuminated
- 89.4%
- Age
- 11.7 days
- Distance
- 405,900 km
- Apparent size
- 29.4′
- Constellation
- Leo
- Lunation number
- 918
Events on this date
-
March equinox
Day and night are nearly equal. Spring begins in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern.
-
Mercury and Saturn close together
They pass 1.9° apart in the sky.
-
Apogee
The Moon's farthest point from Earth on this orbit: 405,900 km.
Exact values
For Mar 20, 12:00 PM, midday on this date.
| Elongation from the Sun | 142.00° |
|---|---|
| Phase angle | 38.01° |
| Illuminated fraction | 89.39% |
| Altitude / azimuth | -33.5° / 31.9° |
| Right ascension / declination | 9h 34m / 11.13° |
| Ecliptic longitude / latitude | 142.14° / -3.17° |
| Libration in longitude / latitude | 2.03° / 4.63° |
| Sub-solar longitude / latitude | 39.32° / -0.02° |
| Position angle of the axis | 20.0° |
| Position angle of the bright limb | 283.9° |
| Apparent magnitude | -11.6 |
Directions are good to about a hundredth of a degree and the distance to about 50 km; more digits would not mean anything.