The Moon on this date
Moon on Sunday, December 21, 2014
New Moon
0.3% illuminated · waning
Shown at midday from Columbus, US.
Rise, set and path
Times for Columbus, US
- Moonrise
- SE
- Highest
- 31°
- Moonset
- SW
60°30°
Horizon
7:05 AM
5:15 PM
31°
Key figures
- Illuminated
- 0.3%
- Age
- 29.2 days
- Distance
- 370,700 km
- Apparent size
- 32.2′
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Lunation number
- 1137
Events on this date
-
December solstice
The shortest day in the northern hemisphere and the longest in the southern.
-
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 21, 12:00 PM, midday on this date.
| Elongation from the Sun | 355.24° |
|---|---|
| Phase angle | 173.31° |
| Illuminated fraction | 0.34% |
| Altitude / azimuth | 30.5° / 177.2° |
| Right ascension / declination | 17h 39m / -18.66° |
| Ecliptic longitude / latitude | 264.98° / 4.68° |
| Libration in longitude / latitude | -4.61° / -5.26° |
| Sub-solar longitude / latitude | -179.86° / 1.45° |
| Position angle of the axis | 2.6° |
| Position angle of the bright limb | 131.3° |
| Apparent magnitude | -4.7 |
Directions are good to about a hundredth of a degree and the distance to about 50 km; more digits would not mean anything.