Phases of the Moon
Phases Of The Moon
The lunar cycle has long guided society in Hawai’i. Click here for the Hawaiian Lunar Calendar from Kamehameha Publishing.
2026 Dates
New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Third Quarter |
The Moon is not visible during this phase | Best phase for viewing the Moon in early evening hours | Appears to rise and set opposite of the Sun | Best phase for viewing the Moon in the hours before sunrise |
|
| January 3 | January 10 |
January 18 | January 25 | February 1 | February 9 |
February 17 | February 24 | March 3 | March 10 |
March 18 | March 25 | April 1 | April 9 |
April 17 | April 23 | May 1 | May 9 |
May 16 | May 23 | May 30 | June 8 |
June 14 | June 21 | June 29 | July 7 |
July 13 | July 21 | July 29 | August 5 |
August 12 | August 19 | August 27 | September 3 |
September 10 | September 18 | September 26 | October 3 |
October 10 | October 18 | October 25 | November 1 |
November 8 | November 17 | November 24 | November 30 |
December 8 | December 16 | December 23 | December 30 |
Lunar Eclipses
Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon, Earth, and Sun align in a way that the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow. This occurs during the full moon phase, when the Moon is located on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. The Moon appears differently during a lunar eclipse depending on whether it is passing through the penumbra or umbra portions of Earth’s shadow.
These dates are limited to upcoming lunar eclipses visible at least in part from Honolulu, Hawaii. Times are listed in Hawaiian Standard Time (HST). Additional lunar eclipses are visible in 2026 from other locations on Earth.
Total Lunar Eclipse: March 2-3, 2026
- Various stages of lunar eclipse can be seen from Monday, March 2, beginning at about about 10:44 p.m., through about 4:23 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3.
- Total lunar eclipse: expected between 1:04-2:02 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3. During this period, majority of the Moon will be in the umbra and it will take on a reddish appearance.
- Moment of maximum eclipse: expected around 1:33 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3. It will be easiest to see the red color of the Moon around this time.
- Leading up to and after the period of total lunar eclipse, portions of the Moon will appear to darken as it moves in and out of the penumbra (penumbral and partial eclipses).
Partial Lunar Eclipse: August 27, 2026
- Moment of maximum eclipse: expected at 6:12 p.m. on Thursday, August 27. However, the Moon will not be visible at that time as it will be below the horizon. Look for the Moon’s reddish appearance as it rises around 6:47 p.m. After moonrise, the Moon will continue to move out of the umbra. The partial eclipse ends around 7:51 p.m.
Super Full Moons
When a full moon is seen around the time the Moon approaches perigee, its closest distance to Earth in its elliptical orbit, it is commonly called a super full moon or supermoon. The term supermoon can also refer to a super new moon. In present day, the Moon moves between 226,000-251,000 miles (363,300-405,500 km) away from Earth over the course of its orbit.
The following super full moon dates indicate the moment of 100% illumination in Hawaiian Standard Time. The Moon will appear larger and brighter than the average full moon, and even more so when the Moon is viewed near the horizon. Explore NASA’s Daily Moon Guide for observation highlights for any selected day.
December 23, 2026 at 3:28 p.m.; visible from Hawaii after moonrise at 5:52 p.m.
About the Planetarium
Bishop Museum’s Jhamandas Watumull Planetarium opened its doors on December 12, 1961. Originally called the Kilolani Planetarium, the Watumull Planetarium has served over six million visitors and students over 60 years of continuous operation. The Planetarium was instrumental in the recovery of the nearly lost art and science of traditional, non-instrument navigation in Hawaiʻi. Nainoa Thompson spent countless hours in the Planetarium with Will Kyselka and other Planetarium staff in the late 1970s learning how to read the night sky. We are honored to continue that legacy by serving as a training space for today’s navigators.
Our GOTO Chronos II optical star projector provides one of the most vivid, realistic recreations of the night sky available today, with 8,500 pinpoint stars and realistic, bright planets. Our Digistar 4K
full-dome video system covers the entire dome in immersive video, allowing us to fly through the rings of Saturn, into the depths of the Orion nebula, out to the edge of the universe, and even simulate a voyage across the Pacific.
The Planetarium has 64 seats and serves 70,000 people a year. The planetarium focuses on programs about Hawaiʻi, blending live and prerecorded elements within each program.