Moonrise & Moonset in Boston, MA
For October 12, 2026 in Boston, MA, the Moon is waxing crescent and 5% lit. See the moonrise and moonset times below, with the date and direction for each event.
It's 3:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time in Boston.
Waxing crescent
5% illuminated
- Moonrise
- 9:09 AM ESE
- Moonset
- 6:45 PM WSW
- Up right now
- Yes — 22° up, look SSW
Times are Boston, MA local time, computed for October 12, 2026 — refreshed live in your browser.
Where the moon is right now
Press Play, or drag: end to end is one full turn of the moon round the Earth — 29 days and 13 hours
Boston is the marker on the globe — on the daylit half right now, riding the dotted circle its spot traces as the Earth turns. The moon is 26° from the sun in the sky now, and that angle is the phase: waxing crescent. You are looking down on the Earth from far above its orbit, from the north — the side you are on — with sunlight arriving from the top left, so the half of the Earth facing that way is the half having its day. Sizes and distances are not to scale; the directions are.
That angle sets the tides, too. The moon does most of the pulling and the sun about half as much, so when the two line up — new moon and full moon — their pulls add and the tide runs to its biggest (spring tides); when they sit square on at the quarters the pulls fight and it runs to its smallest (neaps). The coast follows a day or two behind, and the shape of the shore matters as much as the sky does. Predicted tide times for Boston, MA →
Also see the Sun, Earth & Moon movement simulator for Boston, to watch how the three move together over a day, a week or a month.
Next phases — Boston, MA time
The next 30 days
Each disc is that day's phase, from the date selected above.
Next 7 days
| Day | Moonrise | Moonset | Lit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Oct 12 | 9:09 AMESE | 6:45 PMWSW | 5% | |
| Tue, Oct 13 | 10:16 AMESE | 7:18 PMSW | 10% | |
| Wed, Oct 14 | 11:21 AMSE | 7:57 PMSW | 16% | |
| Thu, Oct 15 | 12:19 PMSE | 8:45 PMSW | 24% | |
| Fri, Oct 16 | 1:10 PMSE | 9:39 PMSW | 32% | |
| Sat, Oct 17 | 1:52 PMSE | 10:39 PMSW | 41% | |
| Sun, Oct 18 | 2:27 PMESE | 11:43 PMWSW | 50% |
Rise and set drift later by roughly 30–70 minutes a night. A "—" means that event skips the calendar day (the moon can rise late tonight and set tomorrow).
About Boston
These coordinates are what every time on this page is solved for — sunrise, moonrise and the rest are computed from this exact point, not from a regional average.
Related astronomical information
Calculated astronomical positions for these coordinates. Local weather and conditions are not modelled.
More moon
The phase itself is worldwide: today's moon phase · moon phase calendar · full moon calendar · lunar eclipses · supermoons · blue moons · moonrise across Massachusetts.
Moonrise in Boston, MA FAQ
What time does the moon rise in Boston, MA tonight? Moonrise is at 9:09 AM in the ESE tonight (October 12, 2026, Boston, MA local time). The time shifts by roughly 30–70 minutes from one night to the next, so check the 7-day table for the rest of the week.
Is the moon visible in Boston, MA right now? Yes — as of the last update it was about 22° above the horizon in the SSW. The page recomputes this live when you open it. Whether you can actually see it also depends on cloud cover and how bright the sky is.
Which direction should I look for the moon in Boston, MA? Tonight it rises in the ESE and sets in the WSW. Like the sun, the moon rises on the eastern side of the sky and sets on the western side, drifting between northeast and southeast (and northwest to southwest) through the month.
When is the next full moon in Boston, MA? October 26, 2026 at 12:11 AM Boston, MA local time. The full moon happens at one instant worldwide — only the clock reading is local.