Last Quarter
- Rise
- 00:36
- Set
- 13:12
Moon Phases December 2026 in Tambacounda, Senegal
Tambacounda, Senegal
Daily moon phases, illumination, moonrise and moonset for Tambacounda, in local time (Africa/Dakar). Next full moon: Cold Moon on Thursday, December 24.
Tambacounda · Tuesday, December 1, 2026 Today
Last Quarter
- Illumination
- 47.5%
- Moon age
- 22.2 days
- Distance
- 378,997 km
- Moonrise
- 00:36
- Moonset
- 13:12
- Highest
- 06:56
Last Quarter at 06:08. Next: New Moon on Wed, Dec 9 at 00:51. Cold Moon in 23 days.
At last quarter, also called third quarter, the Moon has completed three quarters of its orbit and again shows a half disc, now lit on the opposite side from first quarter.
Click any day in the calendar or pick a date above to see its details here.
December 2026 calendar
Waning Crescent
37%
- Rise
- 01:28
- Set
- 13:50
Waning Crescent
27%
- Rise
- 02:18
- Set
- 14:27
Waning Crescent
19%
- Rise
- 03:08
- Set
- 15:05
Waning Crescent
12%
- Rise
- 03:58
- Set
- 15:45
Waning Crescent
6%
- Rise
- 04:49
- Set
- 16:27
Waning Crescent
2%
- Rise
- 05:42
- Set
- 17:12
Waning Crescent
0%
- Rise
- 06:35
- Set
- 18:01
New Moon
- Rise
- 07:28
- Set
- 18:52
Waxing Crescent
2%
- Rise
- 08:19
- Set
- 19:44
Waxing Crescent
5%
- Rise
- 09:07
- Set
- 20:36
Waxing Crescent
10%
- Rise
- 09:52
- Set
- 21:27
Waxing Crescent
17%
- Rise
- 10:33
- Set
- 22:16
Waxing Crescent
24%
- Rise
- 11:11
- Set
- 23:04
Waxing Crescent
33%
- Rise
- 11:48
- Set
- 23:52
Waxing Crescent
43%
- Rise
- 12:23
- Set
- —
First Quarter
- Rise
- 13:00
- Set
- 00:39
Waxing Gibbous
63%
- Rise
- 13:37
- Set
- 01:28
Waxing Gibbous
73%
- Rise
- 14:19
- Set
- 02:20
Waxing Gibbous
82%
- Rise
- 15:05
- Set
- 03:16
Waxing Gibbous
90%
- Rise
- 15:58
- Set
- 04:17
Waxing Gibbous
96%
- Rise
- 16:59
- Set
- 05:23
Waxing Gibbous
99%
- Rise
- 18:05
- Set
- 06:31
Cold Moon
- Rise
- 19:15
- Set
- 07:38
Waning Gibbous
97%
- Rise
- 20:23
- Set
- 08:40
Waning Gibbous
91%
- Rise
- 21:27
- Set
- 09:36
Waning Gibbous
83%
- Rise
- 22:26
- Set
- 10:24
Waning Gibbous
74%
- Rise
- 23:21
- Set
- 11:08
Waning Gibbous
64%
- Rise
- —
- Set
- 11:48
Last Quarter
- Rise
- 00:14
- Set
- 12:27
Waning Crescent
43%
- Rise
- 01:04
- Set
- 13:05
Times are local to Tambacounda (Africa/Dakar). A dash means the moon does not rise or set on that date.
Moon phases in December 2026
| Phase | Local date and time | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Last Quarter | Tue, Dec 1 at 06:08 | Dec 1, 06:08 |
| New Moon | Wed, Dec 9 at 00:51 | Dec 9, 00:51 |
| First Quarter | Thu, Dec 17 at 05:42 | Dec 17, 05:42 |
| Full Moon · Cold Moon | Thu, Dec 24 at 01:28 | Dec 24, 01:28 |
| Last Quarter | Wed, Dec 30 at 18:59 | Dec 30, 18:59 |
About the Last Quarter
At last quarter, also called third quarter, the Moon has completed three quarters of its orbit and again shows a half disc, now lit on the opposite side from first quarter. It rises around midnight, is highest at sunrise and sets around midday, so it belongs to the morning sky and is often seen in daylight before noon.
The terminator again brings craters into sharp relief for anyone up before dawn.
Lore and folklore
The last quarter was the old almanac's time for rest and reflection: good for harvesting, drying and storing, mending fences and turning compost, but not for sowing. Weather lore watched the last quarter for signs of the coming month.
In some traditions the morning half moon was a reminder that the month was ending and debts and quarrels should be settled before the dark of the moon.
Trivia
- The last quarter Moon leads the Sun by 90 degrees, so it is due south (or north from the southern hemisphere) at sunrise.
- Several Moon missions launched near last quarter so the lighting at the landing site would be favourable a week later.
- From the southern hemisphere the last quarter is lit on the right, the mirror image of the northern view.
- Half of the Moon is always sunlit; a quarter moon simply shows us half of that half.
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 2026
- Dec 1 to Dec 8 · 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 9 to Dec 16 · 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 17 to Dec 23 · 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 24 to Dec 30 · Root crops: Plant root crops and anything that overwinters: carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs. Prune to slow growth.
- Dec 31 · Rest and tend: Rest days for the soil: weed, cultivate, turn compost, harvest crops for storage, prune to discourage regrowth, prepare beds. Avoid sowing.
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 Tambacounda 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.