Waxing Gibbous
96%
- Rise
- 3:04 PM
- Set
- 6:01 AM
Moon Phases January 2026 in Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri, United States
Daily moon phases, illumination, moonrise and moonset for Independence, in local time (America/Chicago). Next full moon: Wolf Moon on Saturday, January 3.
Independence · Thursday, January 1, 2026 Today
Waxing Gibbous
- Illumination
- 95.7%
- Moon age
- 12.7 days
- Distance
- 360,371 km
- Moonrise
- 3:04 PM
- Moonset
- 6:01 AM
- Highest
- 11:07 PM
at . Next: Full Moon on Sat, Jan 3 at 4:02 AM. Wolf Moon in 2 days.
Between first quarter and full moon the Moon is waxing gibbous: more than half lit and growing each night. It rises in the afternoon, dominates the evening sky and sets after midnight.
Click any day in the calendar or pick a date above to see its details here.
January 2026 calendar
Waxing Gibbous
99%
- Rise
- 4:12 PM
- Set
- 7:11 AM
Wolf Moon
- Rise
- 5:27 PM
- Set
- 8:09 AM
Waning Gibbous
97%
- Rise
- 6:45 PM
- Set
- 8:55 AM
Waning Gibbous
93%
- Rise
- 7:59 PM
- Set
- 9:32 AM
Waning Gibbous
86%
- Rise
- 9:10 PM
- Set
- 10:01 AM
Waning Gibbous
78%
- Rise
- 10:16 PM
- Set
- 10:26 AM
Waning Gibbous
69%
- Rise
- 11:19 PM
- Set
- 10:48 AM
Waning Gibbous
59%
- Rise
- —
- Set
- 11:09 AM
Last Quarter
- Rise
- 12:21 AM
- Set
- 11:31 AM
Waning Crescent
40%
- Rise
- 1:22 AM
- Set
- 11:55 AM
Waning Crescent
31%
- Rise
- 2:23 AM
- Set
- 12:22 PM
Waning Crescent
22%
- Rise
- 3:25 AM
- Set
- 12:53 PM
Waning Crescent
15%
- Rise
- 4:26 AM
- Set
- 1:31 PM
Waning Crescent
9%
- Rise
- 5:25 AM
- Set
- 2:17 PM
Waning Crescent
4%
- Rise
- 6:19 AM
- Set
- 3:10 PM
Waning Crescent
1%
- Rise
- 7:06 AM
- Set
- 4:11 PM
New Moon
- Rise
- 7:46 AM
- Set
- 5:15 PM
Waxing Crescent
1%
- Rise
- 8:20 AM
- Set
- 6:22 PM
Waxing Crescent
4%
- Rise
- 8:49 AM
- Set
- 7:29 PM
Waxing Crescent
9%
- Rise
- 9:14 AM
- Set
- 8:35 PM
Waxing Crescent
16%
- Rise
- 9:37 AM
- Set
- 9:41 PM
Waxing Crescent
24%
- Rise
- 10:00 AM
- Set
- 10:49 PM
Waxing Crescent
34%
- Rise
- 10:24 AM
- Set
- 11:59 PM
First Quarter
- Rise
- 10:51 AM
- Set
- —
Waxing Gibbous
56%
- Rise
- 11:22 AM
- Set
- 1:11 AM
Waxing Gibbous
67%
- Rise
- 12:01 PM
- Set
- 2:26 AM
Waxing Gibbous
78%
- Rise
- 12:50 PM
- Set
- 3:42 AM
Waxing Gibbous
87%
- Rise
- 1:51 PM
- Set
- 4:53 AM
Waxing Gibbous
94%
- Rise
- 3:01 PM
- Set
- 5:55 AM
Waxing Gibbous
98%
- Rise
- 4:17 PM
- Set
- 6:46 AM
Times are local to Independence (America/Chicago). A dash means the moon does not rise or set on that date.
Moon phases in January 2026
| Phase | Local date and time | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Full Moon · Wolf Moon | Sat, Jan 3 at 4:02 AM | Jan 3, 10:02 |
| Last Quarter | Sat, Jan 10 at 9:48 AM | Jan 10, 15:48 |
| New Moon | Sun, Jan 18 at 1:52 PM | Jan 18, 19:52 |
| First Quarter | Sun, Jan 25 at 10:47 PM | Jan 26, 04:47 |
About the Waxing Gibbous
Between first quarter and full moon the Moon is waxing gibbous: more than half lit and growing each night. It rises in the afternoon, dominates the evening sky and sets after midnight.
Its brightness climbs quickly during this phase, from about a tenth of full-moon brightness at first quarter to full within a week, because the Moon's rough surface reflects most strongly when the Sun is directly behind the observer.
Lore and folklore
The swelling moon was traditionally a time of increase: livestock fattened, crops filled out, and anything meant to grow was tended now. In some traditions it was the best time to gather herbs, when their vigour was thought to peak.
Gibbous comes from the Latin for hump-backed, a plain description of the bulging shape.
Trivia
- The Moon's brightness is not proportional to the lit area; a half moon is only about a tenth as bright as a full moon.
- The waxing gibbous is the phase most often noticed in daytime, high in the afternoon sky.
- Around this phase the bright crater rays, streaks of ejected rock, become obvious to the naked eye.
- The gibbous Moon rises later each day by anything from 30 to 70 minutes depending on the season.
Select any day in the calendar to read about its phase.
This month's full moon: the Wolf Moon
The first full moon of the year, named for the wolves heard howling through the long, cold January nights.
The name is usually traced to Native American and early colonial almanacs, which tied each full moon to what was happening in nature. Midwinter hunger and mating season made wolves unusually vocal in January. Other names for the same moon include the Old Moon, Ice Moon and, in some Anglo-Saxon traditions, the Moon after Yule.
Lore
In parts of Europe the January moon was the Moon after Yule, and in Celtic tradition the Quiet Moon, a time for staying close to the hearth. The howling wolves of the name were once a real winter hazard in North America and Europe, and the name kept that memory alive long after the wolves were gone.
Trivia
- The Wolf Moon is the highest-riding full moon of the year in the northern hemisphere, opposite the low January Sun.
- In 2018 the Wolf Moon was a supermoon and the first of two full moons that month, making January 31 a Blue Moon.
- Names differ by tradition: the Cree called the January moon the Cold Moon.
Gardening by the Moon in January 2026
- Jan 1 to Jan 2 · Fruiting crops: Sow above-ground crops whose seeds form inside the fruit: beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons. Graft, repot and sow lawns.
- Jan 3 to Jan 10 · Root crops: Plant root crops and anything that overwinters: carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs. Prune to slow growth.
- Jan 11 to Jan 18 · Rest and tend: Rest days for the soil: weed, cultivate, turn compost, harvest crops for storage, prune to discourage regrowth, prepare beds. Avoid sowing.
- Jan 19 to Jan 25 · 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.
- Jan 26 to Jan 31 · Fruiting crops: Sow above-ground crops whose seeds form inside the fruit: beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons. Graft, repot and sow lawns.
Full planting calendar for January › · How gardening by the moon works
How to read this moon calendar
Each day shows the Moon as it looks from Independence 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.