Waxing Gibbous
97%
- Rise
- 6:44 PM
- Set
- 4:28 AM
Moon Phases August 2031 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California, United States
Daily moon phases, illumination, moonrise and moonset for Los Angeles, in local time (America/Los_Angeles). Next full moon: Sturgeon Moon on Saturday, August 2.
Los Angeles · Friday, August 1, 2031 Today
Waxing Gibbous
- Illumination
- 97.4%
- Moon age
- 13.2 days
- Distance
- 358,280 km
- Moonrise
- 6:44 PM
- Moonset
- 4:28 AM
- Highest
- —
at . Next: Full Moon on Sat, Aug 2 at 6:45 PM. Sturgeon Moon in 1 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.
August 2031 calendar
Sturgeon Moon
- Rise
- 7:31 PM
- Set
- 5:40 AM
Waning Gibbous
99%
- Rise
- 8:13 PM
- Set
- 6:51 AM
Waning Gibbous
95%
- Rise
- 8:52 PM
- Set
- 8:01 AM
Waning Gibbous
89%
- Rise
- 9:29 PM
- Set
- 9:09 AM
Waning Gibbous
82%
- Rise
- 10:05 PM
- Set
- 10:14 AM
Waning Gibbous
72%
- Rise
- 10:41 PM
- Set
- 11:17 AM
Waning Gibbous
62%
- Rise
- 11:19 PM
- Set
- 12:18 PM
Last Quarter
- Rise
- —
- Set
- 1:17 PM
Waning Crescent
42%
- Rise
- 12:00 AM
- Set
- 2:13 PM
Waning Crescent
33%
- Rise
- 12:43 AM
- Set
- 3:06 PM
Waning Crescent
24%
- Rise
- 1:29 AM
- Set
- 3:56 PM
Waning Crescent
17%
- Rise
- 2:18 AM
- Set
- 4:41 PM
Waning Crescent
10%
- Rise
- 3:10 AM
- Set
- 5:23 PM
Waning Crescent
5%
- Rise
- 4:03 AM
- Set
- 6:01 PM
Waning Crescent
2%
- Rise
- 4:57 AM
- Set
- 6:36 PM
New Moon
- Rise
- 5:52 AM
- Set
- 7:09 PM
Waxing Crescent
1%
- Rise
- 6:48 AM
- Set
- 7:41 PM
Waxing Crescent
3%
- Rise
- 7:44 AM
- Set
- 8:12 PM
Waxing Crescent
7%
- Rise
- 8:40 AM
- Set
- 8:43 PM
Waxing Crescent
13%
- Rise
- 9:38 AM
- Set
- 9:17 PM
Waxing Crescent
20%
- Rise
- 10:37 AM
- Set
- 9:52 PM
Waxing Crescent
29%
- Rise
- 11:37 AM
- Set
- 10:32 PM
Waxing Crescent
39%
- Rise
- 12:39 PM
- Set
- 11:17 PM
First Quarter
- Rise
- 1:41 PM
- Set
- —
Waxing Gibbous
61%
- Rise
- 2:42 PM
- Set
- 12:09 AM
Waxing Gibbous
72%
- Rise
- 3:39 PM
- Set
- 1:06 AM
Waxing Gibbous
82%
- Rise
- 4:32 PM
- Set
- 2:10 AM
Waxing Gibbous
90%
- Rise
- 5:21 PM
- Set
- 3:18 AM
Waxing Gibbous
96%
- Rise
- 6:04 PM
- Set
- 4:28 AM
Waxing Gibbous
99%
- Rise
- 6:45 PM
- Set
- 5:38 AM
Times are local to Los Angeles (America/Los_Angeles). A dash means the moon does not rise or set on that date.
Moon phases in August 2031
| Phase | Local date and time | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Full Moon · Sturgeon Moon | Sat, Aug 2 at 6:45 PM | Aug 3, 01:45 |
| Last Quarter | Sat, Aug 9 at 5:23 PM | Aug 10, 00:23 |
| New Moon | Sun, Aug 17 at 9:32 PM | Aug 18, 04:32 |
| First Quarter | Mon, Aug 25 at 11:39 AM | Aug 25, 18:39 |
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 Sturgeon Moon
The giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most easily caught in August.
The Green Corn Moon and Grain Moon reflect the ripening harvest. The Red Moon name comes from the reddish tint the moon takes on rising through summer haze.
Lore
The huge sturgeon of the Great Lakes were easiest to catch in August, and the moon took their name. The Grain Moon and Green Corn Moon mark the start of harvest, and the Red Moon describes the rising August moon seen through summer haze.
Trivia
- The Perseid meteor shower peaks around August 12, so the Sturgeon Moon's phase decides how good the show is.
- Lake sturgeon can live more than a century and grow over two metres long.
- Perigee full moons often cluster in late summer, so the Sturgeon Moon is frequently a supermoon.
Gardening by the Moon in August 2031
- Aug 1 to Aug 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.
- Aug 3 to Aug 9 · Root crops: Plant root crops and anything that overwinters: carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs. Prune to slow growth.
- Aug 10 to Aug 17 · Rest and tend: Rest days for the soil: weed, cultivate, turn compost, harvest crops for storage, prune to discourage regrowth, prepare beds. Avoid sowing.
- Aug 18 to Aug 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.
- Aug 26 to Aug 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 August › · How gardening by the moon works
How to read this moon calendar
Each day shows the Moon as it looks from Los Angeles 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.