Moonrise & Moonset in West Des Moines, IA
Tonight in West Des Moines, IA the moon rises at 7:26 PM in the ESE and sets at 4:50 AM in the WSW. It is a waxing gibbous, 98% illuminated.
It's 3:46 PM Central Daylight Time in West Des Moines.
Waxing gibbous
98% illuminated
- Moonrise
- 7:26 PM ESE
- Moonset
- 4:50 AM WSW
- Up right now
- No
Times are West Des Moines, IA local time, computed for August 26, 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
West Des Moines 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 165° from the sun in the sky now, and that angle is the phase: waxing gibbous. 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.
Also see sunrise & sunset in West Des Moines, and the Sun, Earth & Moon movement simulator for West Des Moines, to watch how the three move together over a day, a week or a month.
Next phases — West Des Moines, IA time
The next 30 days
Each disc is that day's phase, from the date selected above.
Next 7 days
| Day | Moonrise | Moonset | Lit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Aug 26 | 7:26 PMESE | 4:50 AMWSW | 98% | |
| Thu, Aug 27 | 7:49 PMESE | 5:57 AMWSW | 100% | |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 8:10 PMeast | 7:04 AMwest | 100% | |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 8:31 PMeast | 8:11 AMwest | 97% | |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 8:52 PMeast | 9:19 AMwest | 93% | |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 9:16 PMENE | 10:29 AMWNW | 86% | |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 9:45 PMENE | 11:42 AMWNW | 78% |
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 West Des Moines
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 Iowa.
Moonrise in West Des Moines, IA FAQ
What time does the moon rise in West Des Moines, IA tonight? Moonrise is at 7:26 PM in the ESE tonight (August 26, 2026, West Des Moines, IA 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 West Des Moines, IA right now? Not at the last update — it was below the horizon. 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 West Des Moines, IA? 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 West Des Moines, IA? August 27, 2026 at 11:18 PM West Des Moines, IA local time. The full moon happens at one instant worldwide — only the clock reading is local.