New Moon
- Rise
- 07:15
- Set
- 16:31
Moon Phases December 2024 in Catania, Italy
Catania, Sicily, Italy
Daily moon phases, illumination, moonrise and moonset for Catania, in local time (Europe/Rome). Next full moon: Cold Moon on Sunday, December 15.
Catania · Sunday, December 1, 2024 Today
New Moon
- Illumination
- 0.2%
- Moon age
- 0.2 days
- Distance
- 395,683 km
- Moonrise
- 07:15
- Moonset
- 16:31
- Highest
- 11:55
New Moon at 07:21. Next: First Quarter on Sun, Dec 8 at 16:26. Cold Moon in 14 days.
At new moon the Moon lies between Earth and the Sun, and the side facing us is unlit. It rises and sets with the Sun, so it cannot be seen except during a solar eclipse.
Click any day in the calendar or pick a date above to see its details here.
December 2024 calendar
Waxing Crescent
2%
- Rise
- 08:17
- Set
- 17:21
Waxing Crescent
5%
- Rise
- 09:14
- Set
- 18:19
Waxing Crescent
11%
- Rise
- 10:04
- Set
- 19:24
Waxing Crescent
18%
- Rise
- 10:46
- Set
- 20:33
Waxing Crescent
27%
- Rise
- 11:21
- Set
- 21:44
Waxing Crescent
37%
- Rise
- 11:51
- Set
- 22:53
First Quarter
- Rise
- 12:19
- Set
- —
Waxing Gibbous
59%
- Rise
- 12:44
- Set
- 00:03
Waxing Gibbous
70%
- Rise
- 13:10
- Set
- 01:12
Waxing Gibbous
80%
- Rise
- 13:38
- Set
- 02:24
Waxing Gibbous
89%
- Rise
- 14:10
- Set
- 03:38
Waxing Gibbous
95%
- Rise
- 14:49
- Set
- 04:54
Waxing Gibbous
99%
- Rise
- 15:36
- Set
- 06:11
Cold Moon
- Rise
- 16:33
- Set
- 07:23
Waning Gibbous
98%
- Rise
- 17:38
- Set
- 08:26
Waning Gibbous
94%
- Rise
- 18:47
- Set
- 09:18
Waning Gibbous
89%
- Rise
- 19:55
- Set
- 09:59
Waning Gibbous
81%
- Rise
- 21:01
- Set
- 10:33
Waning Gibbous
73%
- Rise
- 22:04
- Set
- 11:00
Waning Gibbous
64%
- Rise
- 23:03
- Set
- 11:24
Last Quarter
- Rise
- —
- Set
- 11:45
Waning Crescent
45%
- Rise
- 00:01
- Set
- 12:06
Waning Crescent
36%
- Rise
- 00:59
- Set
- 12:27
Waning Crescent
27%
- Rise
- 01:57
- Set
- 12:50
Waning Crescent
19%
- Rise
- 02:57
- Set
- 13:17
Waning Crescent
12%
- Rise
- 03:59
- Set
- 13:48
Waning Crescent
7%
- Rise
- 05:02
- Set
- 14:26
Waning Crescent
3%
- Rise
- 06:05
- Set
- 15:12
New Moon
- Rise
- 07:05
- Set
- 16:09
Waxing Crescent
0%
- Rise
- 07:58
- Set
- 17:13
Times are local to Catania (Europe/Rome). A dash means the moon does not rise or set on that date.
Moon phases in December 2024
| Phase | Local date and time | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| New Moon | Sun, Dec 1 at 07:21 | Dec 1, 06:21 |
| First Quarter | Sun, Dec 8 at 16:26 | Dec 8, 15:26 |
| Full Moon · Cold Moon | Sun, Dec 15 at 10:01 | Dec 15, 09:01 |
| Last Quarter | Sun, Dec 22 at 23:18 | Dec 22, 22:18 |
| New Moon | Mon, Dec 30 at 23:26 | Dec 30, 22:26 |
About the New Moon
At new moon the Moon lies between Earth and the Sun, and the side facing us is unlit. It rises and sets with the Sun, so it cannot be seen except during a solar eclipse. The new moon is the reference point of the lunar month: the Moon's age is counted in days from this instant, and 29.53 days later the cycle repeats.
Because the sky is free of moonlight all night, the nights around new moon are the best of the month for the Milky Way, faint deep-sky objects and meteor showers.
Lore and folklore
Many cultures began their months at the first sighting of the thin crescent after new moon; the Islamic, Hebrew and traditional Chinese calendars still do. In folklore the dark of the moon was a time for endings and beginnings: seeds planted, debts settled, hair cut so it would grow back thick.
A wish made at the first glimpse of the new crescent was said to come true, and turning the silver coins in your pocket at that moment invited money to follow.
Trivia
- The exact instant of new moon is the same everywhere on Earth; only the clock time differs.
- Two new moons in one calendar month are sometimes called a Black Moon, the dark twin of the Blue Moon.
- Solar eclipses can only happen at new moon, but most new moons pass above or below the Sun because the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees.
- The 'old moon in the new moon's arms', a faint glow on the dark part of a young crescent, is earthshine: sunlight reflected off Earth.
Select any day in the calendar to read about its phase.
This month's full moon: the Cold Moon
The December full moon, when winter cold takes hold and nights are longest.
The Long Night Moon, for the night nearest the winter solstice, and the Moon before Yule are older names. It is the highest-riding full moon of the year in the northern hemisphere, opposite the low December sun.
Lore
December's moon comes with the deepest cold and the longest nights, hence the Cold Moon and Long Night Moon. In Anglo-Saxon tradition it was the Moon before Yule, and its light on snow made the long nights unusually bright.
Trivia
- The Cold Moon rides highest of all full moons in the northern hemisphere, opposite the low solstice Sun.
- Around the December solstice the full moon is above the horizon for more than 15 hours at 50 degrees north.
- The Cold Moon is usually the last full moon of the year, but some years a thirteenth follows it as a Blue Moon.
Gardening by the Moon in December 2024
- Dec 1 to Dec 8 · Leafy crops: Sow leafy crops and above-ground annuals whose seeds form outside the fruit: lettuce, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, celery, herbs. Transplant seedlings. Mow to encourage growth.
- Dec 9 to Dec 14 · Fruiting crops: Sow above-ground crops whose seeds form inside the fruit: beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons. Graft, repot and sow lawns.
- Dec 15 to Dec 22 · Root crops: Plant root crops and anything that overwinters: carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs. Prune to slow growth.
- Dec 23 to Dec 30 · Rest and tend: Rest days for the soil: weed, cultivate, turn compost, harvest crops for storage, prune to discourage regrowth, prepare beds. Avoid sowing.
- Dec 31 · Leafy crops: Sow leafy crops and above-ground annuals whose seeds form outside the fruit: lettuce, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, celery, herbs. Transplant seedlings. Mow to encourage growth.
Full planting calendar for December › · How gardening by the moon works
How to read this moon calendar
Each day shows the Moon as it looks from Catania at midday local time, with the illuminated percentage, moonrise and moonset. Days with a principal phase show the exact local time the phase occurs. Because the Moon moves about 50 minutes later each day, roughly once a month there is a date with no moonrise or no moonset at all.
The eight phases of the Moon
New Moon
The Moon sits between Earth and the Sun. Its lit side faces away from us, so it is invisible in the night sky. A new lunar month begins.
Waxing Crescent
A thin sliver grows each evening after sunset. Look low in the west shortly after dusk.
First Quarter
Half the disc is lit. The Moon rises around midday and sets around midnight, so it is high in the sky at sunset.
Waxing Gibbous
More than half lit and growing. It rises in the afternoon and shines most of the night.
Full Moon
The whole face is lit. It rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. Each full moon carries a traditional name.
Waning Gibbous
The lit portion shrinks. It rises after sunset and is still up in the morning sky.
Last Quarter
Half lit again, on the opposite side. It rises around midnight and is best seen in the early morning.
Waning Crescent
A thinning sliver before dawn in the east, fading toward the next new moon.