When are moonless nights?
It depends on the moon’s orbit.
The moon’s 29.5-day orbit means it is opposite the sun (and thus visible all night) around full moon, making stargazing virtually impossible. But, even a crescent moon can be bright enough to wash out the stars.
If you want to stargaze on a particular night, you need to know the phase of the moon.
Nights when the moon is not visible during nighttime hours are the only true “moonless nights” and occur two to three nights around the new moon phase. This is because the moon is between Earth and the sun, rising and setting at nearly the same time as the sun.
However, as it orbits Earth, there are about 10 nights before new moon when the moon rises late enough to have several hours during prime stargazing hours — early evening.
Even two to three days after new moon work well for an evening under the stars due to how early the waxing crescent moon sets.
Did you know the moon’s orbital period is actually only 27.3 days? But, due to Earth’s own orbit around the sun, it takes longer for a full cycle of moon phases because the moon has to “catch up.”
When will the moon rise?
The moon rises about 40 minutes later each day, depending on the season. The best way to know the exact time it will rise in a specific location is to consult an online moon phase calendar.
Timeanddate.com is one such tool which allows you to set the location, month and year to easily see the moon phases. You can also see the moonrise and moonset times with the exact azimuth angle of where on the horizon they will occur. Azimuth is measured clockwise in a circle, with north being zero degrees, east at 90 degrees, south at 180 degrees and west at 270 degrees.
The lunar calendar also shows the time of the meridian passing, which is when the moon will be highest in the sky.
Why does the full moon appear so big?
Does the full moon appear bigger on the horizon than when it is way up high in the sky? It does to me. However, this phenomenon is an optical illusion. The reason is the lack of scale. With no nearby mountains, trees or buildings, the moon seems smaller when it is higher in the sky.
Try this exercise: Compare the size of the full moon on the horizon with the full moon at the meridian using a dime held at arm’s length. Or, try bending over and look at the moon on the horizon upside down between your legs. The moon appears small again. It might look silly, but your brain does not perceive the horizon the same from this perspective.
Of course, due to the elliptical orbit, there are months when the moon is actually a bit closer to us, called perigee (creating higher tides). Full moons during these months are called supermoons. A full moon during perigee appears 13 percent to 14 percent bigger than a full moon at apogee (called a micromoon), when the moon is at its farthest from Earth.
You can learn more about perigee and apogee, including when the next super full moon will be, on the lunar calendar website previously mentioned.
The only supermoon visible in Pagosa Springs in 2026 will occur on Dec. 23.
Fun fact: The only moon phase that a lunar eclipse can occur in is full moon, when the moon is opposite the sun and Earth’s shadow can be cast upon it. The only total lunar eclipse of 2026 will occur on March 3 and will peak at 4:33 a.m. Will you set an alarm before heading to bed on March 2 and get up to see it? I know I will.
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