The Moon on this date
Moon on Thursday, December 17, 2026
First Quarter
54.9% illuminated · waxing
Shown at midday from Columbus, US.
Rise, set and path
Times for Columbus, US
- Moonrise
- E
- Highest
- 55°
- Moonset
- W
60°30°
Horizon
12:35 PM
12:27 AM
55°
Key figures
- Illuminated
- 54.9%
- Age
- 8.7 days
- Distance
- 387,300 km
- Apparent size
- 30.8′
- Constellation
- Pisces
- Lunation number
- 1286
Events on this date
-
First Quarter
Half of the disc is lit. The Moon is high at sunset and sets around midnight.
-
Moon and Neptune close together
They pass 4.6° apart in the sky.
-
Moon, Neptune, and Saturn gathered
All within 6.4° of each other in the sky.
Exact values
For Dec 17, 12:00 PM, midday on this date.
| Elongation from the Sun | 95.53° |
|---|---|
| Phase angle | 84.33° |
| Illuminated fraction | 54.94% |
| Altitude / azimuth | -6.9° / 79.8° |
| Right ascension / declination | 23h 00m / 3.48° |
| Ecliptic longitude / latitude | 1.30° / 3.23° |
| Libration in longitude / latitude | -7.41° / -3.32° |
| Sub-solar longitude / latitude | 76.57° / -1.33° |
| Position angle of the axis | 337.8° |
| Position angle of the bright limb | 246.8° |
| Apparent magnitude | -10.3 |
Directions are good to about a hundredth of a degree and the distance to about 50 km; more digits would not mean anything.