Moon Light World Map

The sublunar point is the location on Earth's surface directly beneath the Moon — where the Moon is at its zenith (straight overhead at 90° altitude). At this point, moonlight strikes the ground at the most perpendicular angle. The sublunar point moves westward across the globe as Earth rotates.

Illumination fraction is derived from the angular separation between the Moon and the Sun (the elongation angle). When the Moon is opposite the Sun (180° elongation), it is fully illuminated — a Full Moon. When aligned with the Sun (0°), it is a New Moon with 0% illumination. Values in between correspond to crescent, quarter, and gibbous phases.

The portion of Earth lit by the Moon depends on both the Moon's illumination fraction and its declination (how far north or south it sits above the equator). A Full Moon high in the sky illuminates a larger cap of Earth than a crescent Moon near the horizon. The Moon's declination shifts with its orbit, changing which latitudes receive moonlight.

Altitude is the Moon's angle above the horizon (0° = on the horizon, 90° = directly overhead). Azimuth is the compass bearing of the Moon measured clockwise from north (0° = north, 90° = east, 180° = south, 270° = west). Together they pinpoint exactly where the Moon appears in the sky from any location.

Enter the desired year, month, day, hour, and minute in UTC into the calculator and the results update immediately. You can explore any date from 1900 to 2100. Remember that all times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), so convert your local time accordingly before entering it.

The eight phases are: New Moon (0%), Waxing Crescent (~25%), First Quarter (50% waxing), Waxing Gibbous (~75%), Full Moon (100%), Waning Gibbous (~75% waning), Third Quarter (50% waning), and Waning Crescent (~25% waning). The illumination percentage and whether the lit side is growing or shrinking tells you which phase you are in.

Cloud cover, fog, dust, and atmospheric haze can partially or fully block moonlight reaching the ground even when the Moon is geometrically above the horizon. The map shows geometric moonlit regions — actual visibility from any specific spot also depends on local weather and atmospheric transparency.

The Moon's orbit is inclined about 5° to the ecliptic, and the ecliptic itself tilts 23.5° to Earth's equator. This means the Moon's declination can range from roughly −28.5° to +28.5° over its 18.6-year nodal cycle. At extreme declinations, the Moon never rises above the horizon at high polar latitudes, while at moderate declinations it is visible from a broader band of latitudes.