The Moon on this date
Moon on Friday, December 21, 2018
Waxing Gibbous
98.4% illuminated · waxing
Shown at midday from Columbus, US.
Rise, set and path
Times for Columbus, US
- Moonrise
- NE
- Highest
- 70°
- Moonset
- NW
60°30°
Horizon
4:32 PM
6:22 AM
70°
Key figures
- Illuminated
- 98.4%
- Age
- 14.4 days
- Distance
- 367,000 km
- Apparent size
- 32.5′
- Constellation
- Taurus
- Lunation number
- 1187
Events on this date
-
Mercury and Jupiter close together
They pass 0.8° 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 | 165.94° |
|---|---|
| Phase angle | 14.43° |
| Illuminated fraction | 98.42% |
| Altitude / azimuth | -30.8° / 8.0° |
| Right ascension / declination | 4h 00m / 19.24° |
| Ecliptic longitude / latitude | 75.72° / -3.45° |
| Libration in longitude / latitude | -4.49° / 5.35° |
| Sub-solar longitude / latitude | 9.43° / 0.75° |
| Position angle of the axis | 355.2° |
| Position angle of the bright limb | 247.4° |
| Apparent magnitude | -12.5 |
Directions are good to about a hundredth of a degree and the distance to about 50 km; more digits would not mean anything.