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Where to find the Moon after sunset

The Moon rises about 50 minutes later each night. A quick guide to where it sits in the evening sky, phase by phase.

By Lynn Matthews · 1 min read · November 10, 2026

The Moon keeps its own schedule. Every day the Moon rises a little later, and because a full lunar day lasts about 24 hours and 50 minutes, the delay works out to roughly 50 minutes a night.

That pattern tells you where to look after sunset, according to NASA’s phase guide:

  • Waxing crescent: it sets at night after the Sun is down, so look low near the sunset glow soon after dark.
  • First quarter: it rises around midday, so it is already up when the Sun goes down.
  • Waxing gibbous: it rises in the afternoon and sets before sunrise, so it shines for most of the evening.
  • Full Moon: it rises around sunset and sets around sunrise.
  • Waning gibbous: it rises after sunset, a little later each night.

These are rough patterns that change with the season and with your location. For exact times, check the Tonight bar at the top of this page, which shows moonrise and moonset for your city.

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