Moon Illumination

About the Moon Illumination

The Moon Illumination is a free moon tool. Find out exactly what percentage of the moon's face is lit up right now. It runs on the same NASA-grade math we use across the whole site, so every answer matches the real moon in the sky to within a few minutes. This moon illumination tool is built to make the lunar cycle easy to follow for anyone, with no astronomy background needed.

Using the Moon Illumination is simple. Pick any date with the date picker above (or leave it on today) and the widget updates instantly — no button to press, no page to reload. The tool works for any day in the past or the future, so you can check what the moon looked like on your birthday, what it will look like next year, or what it is doing right now. The illuminated portion data is computed right inside your browser, which means it is fast and private.

Every moon tool on this site is free forever, with no signup and no app to install. We built the Moon Illumination because we wanted moon illumination to be as easy as glancing at a clock. If you find it useful, the related tools and calculators below cover every other question you might have about moon percent.

• Free forever — no signup, no app to install.
• Works for any date — past, present, or future.
• Same NASA-grade moon math used across the whole site.
• Updated in real time, right inside your browser.