The Moon can sometimes be seen in the daytime sky and sometimes in the night time sky. The moon rises and sets just like the sun does.

The time when the Moon rises and sets depends mostly on its phase.

Please note that the exact time of moonrise is affected by the observer's latitude and longitude. The times below are the Moonrise times for London UK.

Phases of the moon as seen in the Northern Hemisphere

The 8 Phases of the Moon

The Moon rises in the East and sets in the West

New moon (or dark moon)

The new moon occurs when the moon and the sun are on the same side of Earth. The moon is between the Sun and the Earth and therefore lost in the glare of the sun. We see the side which is not lit, so the moon appears dark to us.

We can’t see a New Moon because the lit side is facing directly away from the Earth.

The New Moon rises at dawn and sets at sunset.

Waxing Crescent Moon
Evening Crescent

The crescent moon is a thin crescent moon.

The waxing crescent moon can always be seen soon after sunset low in the West. Although it rises in the East a little after Sunrise, you can't see it because it is too close to the Sun during the day. When the sun sets, and the sky darkens, the moon pops into view in the western sky.

The best time to see a waxing crescent moon is on the second and third days after New Moon when the crescent is fatter and brighter, and further from the Sun.

("Waxing" means increasing, or growing larger.)

Please note: in this phase, you can sometimes see earthshine on the unilluminated portion of the Moon. Earthshine is caused by sunlight being reflected off the Earth and falling onto the Moon.

Quarter moon

The quarter is when the moon has completed one quarter of an orbit around the Earth, one quarter of a full circle (90 degrees) away from the sun.

Half of the moon's surface is visible from Earth and so sometimes this phase is called half moon.

First quarter

You can tell when the moon is first quarter because the sun lit side is on the right side as shown on the right. (In Australia and other Southern Hemisphere countries it would look like the left side is lit).

A First Quarter Moon rises in the East around noon and sets in the West around midnight. At sunset, you’ll find a First Quarter Moon high above the southern horizon.

Waxing Gibbous Moon

A gibbous moon is a very bright moon.

A waxing gibbous Moon rises in the East during the afternoon, passes due South in the evening, and sets in the West just before dawn.

The word gibbous comes from a root word that means hump-backed. You can see the hump-backed shape of the waxing gibbous moon.

Full moon

The Full Moon is when the Earth is between the sun and the moon.

Full moon always comes about two weeks after new moon, when the moon is midway around in its orbit of Earth, as measured from one new moon to the next.

A Full Moon is the only moon phase that shines the whole night through.

A Full Moon that rises at sunset and sets at sunrise and is visible all night long from moonrise to moonset. It can be seen in the South near midnight.

Waning Gibbous Moon

A gibbous moon is a very bright moon.

A waning gibbous Moon will rise in the east well after sunset, passing due South in the early dawn hours, and setting in the West sometime after dawn.

Last Quarter moon

The quarter is when the moon has completed one quarter of an orbit around the Earth, one quarter of a full circle (90 degrees) away from the sun.

Half of the moon's surface is visible from Earth and so sometimes this phase is called half moon.

Last quarter

A third or last quarter moon shows the sunlit side of the moon on the left. (This would be on the opposite side for Australia)

The last quarter moon rises around midnight and sets around mid-morning. So unless you're a late-owl, you've probably never even seen this moon.

Waning crescent moon
Morning Crescent

The waning crescent moon rises a couple of hours before the sun rises and is barely visible all day long and then sets a couple of hours before the sun. (The best time to see it is just before sunrise.)

If you are watching the moon ...

Please note that after the full phase, the moon won't rise until after sunset and rises later each night. 

When it gets too late, get up just after sunrise and watch the moon continue east. 

When it gets close to crescent phase again, you may need to get up before sunrise to see earth shine again