चन्द्रास्तः · candrāstaḥ
Moonset Time Today
When the Moon drops below the horizon where you are, its phase at that moment and the tithi it sets in. Around full moon the Moon sets near dawn; around new moon it sets with the Sun.
Calculating for your place…
Calculated in your browser from the positions of the Sun and Moon — within about a minute of observatory tables. Your location never leaves your device. Times assume a flat horizon at sea level; hills or tall buildings delay what you actually see.
Moonset for the next 10 days
For the place selected above, in its local time.
When the Moon sets through the month
| Phase | Tithi | Sets around | What you see |
|---|---|---|---|
| New moon | Amavasya | Sunset | Lost in the Sun's glare |
| First quarter | Shukla Ashtami | Around midnight | A half-moon in the evening sky |
| Full moon | Purnima | Around sunrise | The Moon setting in the west as the Sun rises in the east |
| Last quarter | Krishna Ashtami | Around noon | A half-moon in the morning, daytime sky |
That is why the waning Moon is so often seen in daylight: in the second half of the lunar month it sets in the late morning or afternoon, long after sunrise.
Udaya and Asta — rising and setting in Sanskrit
Udaya (उदय) means "going up", from ud (up) and i (to go) — the same word that gives udaya tithi, the tithi at sunrise. Asta (अस्त) means "set", and the Sanskrit expression for a setting body is that it "goes home" (astaṃ gacchati) — the western mountain behind which the Sun and Moon were imagined to rest is called Astāchala. In Jyotisha, a planet too close to the Sun to be seen is also said to be asta, "combust".
The Moon you shouldn't look at
On Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi — Ganesh Chaturthi — tradition warns against looking at the Moon, a day also called Kalank Chaturthi. The story goes that the Moon laughed at Ganesha and was cursed, and that whoever sees it that night faces false accusation, as Krishna did over the Syamantaka jewel. Because the waxing crescent of Chaturthi sets a few hours after sunset, the moonset time tells you when the "forbidden" moon is gone for the night.
The Moon and the tides
The Moon's pull raises two bulges of water on opposite sides of the Earth, so most coasts see two high tides a day, roughly when the Moon is high overhead and when it is directly below the horizon. The largest tides, spring tides, come near Purnima and Amavasya when Sun and Moon pull in line — which is why tide tables and the tithi move together.
Frequently asked questions
What time is moonset today?
Today's moonset for your chosen city or location is shown at the top of this page, in that place's local time. If the Moon does not set on today's date, the page says so and the table shows the next moonset.
Why does the full moon set at sunrise?
At full moon the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun, so it rises as the Sun sets and sets as the Sun rises.
Why can I see the Moon in the daytime?
For about half of each month the Moon is above the horizon for part of the daylight hours. In the waning half (Krishna paksha) it sets late in the morning or afternoon, so it is often seen in a blue sky.
Why is there no moonset on some days?
Moonset moves about 50 minutes later each day on average. About once a lunar month it passes midnight, so one calendar day has no moonset.
How accurate is this moonset time?
Within one to two minutes of standard astronomical tables for a flat horizon, including the Moon's parallax and refraction.