Orbit the moon in 3D to see how Earth, Moon and Sun create each phase. Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom.
3D View – Explore the Moon
Explore the relationship between the Moon, Earth and Sun — the celestial geometry that shapes the moon's phases. In 3D you can orbit around the moon from any angle to see how sunlight and shadow create crescents, quarters and full moons. Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom.
How we calculate
We compute moon phase and illumination using standard astronomical algorithms. The 3D model applies the correct lighting for your chosen date and time. Textures are from NASA's LRO/LROC and CGI Moon Kit — public domain.
Phase and illumination
Moon phase describes how much of the sunlit hemisphere we see. Illumination is the lit fraction of the visible disk (0% = new moon, 100% = full moon). The terminator — the line between day and night on the moon — moves as the phase changes. In 3D you can view it from any perspective.
About this view
The 3D view lets you observe the Moon–Earth–Sun alignment that determines each phase. Orbit freely around the moon to study its surface, craters and how the terminator (day–night boundary) shifts. The displayed phase matches your selected date and time.
FAQ
Moon phase is how much of the Moon we see lit by the Sun. As the Moon orbits Earth, the illuminated part changes, giving us new moon, crescent, quarter, gibbous, and full moon.
Rise is when the Moon crosses above the horizon (appears); set is when it goes below (disappears). Times depend on your location and date.
Illumination is the percentage of the Moon's visible disk lit by the Sun. 0% = new moon, 100% = full moon.
Full moon: we see the whole lit side. New moon: the lit side faces away from us, so we see almost nothing.
Your location changes moonrise and moonset times (they vary by latitude and longitude). The moon phase and illumination are the same everywhere for a given moment.
Sky view shows the moon as seen from your location (realistic horizon). 3D view reveals the Moon–Earth–Sun relationship that shapes phases — orbit around the moon to view it from any angle.
A supermoon is a full (or new) moon that occurs near perigee — when the Moon is closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit. It looks slightly larger and brighter than an average full moon, though the difference is modest to the naked eye.
The Moon is tidally locked: it rotates on its axis in the same time it takes to orbit Earth (~27.3 days). That keeps the same hemisphere facing us. Libration still lets us glimpse a bit around the edges over time.
When the Moon is low, its light passes through more of Earth's atmosphere. Shorter blue wavelengths scatter away, so the remaining light looks yellow, orange or red — the same effect that colors sunsets.
A lunar eclipse happens at full moon when Earth passes between the Sun and Moon and the Moon moves into Earth's shadow. The Moon can darken and turn copper-red. Eclipses are not monthly because the Moon's orbit is tilted relative to Earth's orbit around the Sun.
In common modern use, a blue moon is the second full moon in a single calendar month. An older definition is the third full moon in an astronomical season that has four. The Moon does not actually turn blue.
The synodic month — from new moon to new moon — averages about 29.53 days. That is longer than the sidereal month (~27.3 days) because Earth also moves around the Sun, so the Moon needs extra time to catch up to the same Sun–Moon alignment.
