Waning Crescent Moon: Meaning, Dates and When to See It
Phase 8 of 8, lasting about a week
The waning crescent is the old Moon: a thinning sliver lit on its left side that rises in the east a few hours before the Sun and fades into the dawn. It gets thinner and rises later each morning until it vanishes into the sunrise glow a day before new moon. Earthshine returns on the dark part in the last days, and the crescent often pairs beautifully with a bright planet low in the east.
Tonight the Moon is a waning gibbous. Next waning crescent (showing UTC):
to
- Illumination
- 49% to 1%
- Moon age
- 22 to 29 days
- Rises
- In the small hours
- Sets
- In the afternoon
Where to look: low in the east before dawn. Exact moonrise and moonset for your city are on the moon calendar.
Upcoming waning crescent dates
| From | To | Length |
|---|---|---|
| (Last Quarter) | (New Moon) | 7.1 days |
| (Last Quarter) | (New Moon) | 7.4 days |
| (Last Quarter) | (New Moon) | 7.8 days |
| (Last Quarter) | (New Moon) | 8.1 days |
| (Last Quarter) | (New Moon) | 8.2 days |
| (Last Quarter) | (New Moon) | 8.2 days |
| (Last Quarter) | (New Moon) | 8.0 days |
| (Last Quarter) | (New Moon) | 7.6 days |
The waning crescent runs from one principal phase to the next, so each window lasts about a week.
What the waning crescent looks like
In the final days of the lunar month the Moon is a waning crescent, rising in the east a few hours before the Sun and fading into the dawn. The sliver thins each morning until it disappears into the sunrise glow a day or so before new moon.
Earthshine often lights the dark part of the disc at this phase, and the crescent sits close to the brightest morning planets, making for striking pre-dawn pairings.
Lore and folklore
The old moon of the morning was widely seen as a time to let go: to finish, clear out and rest before the new cycle. Farmers avoided planting and used the days for weeding and clearing ground.
Some traditions called it the balsamic or dark moon and treated its last days as a quiet pause, much as the week is given a day of rest.
Trivia
- The waning crescent is the phase people see least, simply because it is only up before sunrise.
- The thinnest crescents are visible only a day from new moon, low in the brightening dawn.
- The phases repeat every 29.53 days on average, but individual lunar months vary by more than 13 hours.
- Because the Moon rises later each day, the waning crescent moves from midnight to dawn within a week.
Gardening by the Moon
The waning half of the month, from full moon to new, is the traditional time for root crops, bulbs, perennials, pruning and weeding. The last week is a resting time: clear ground, compost and prepare beds rather than plant. See this month's planting calendar ›