Moon Phases August 2026: Every Date, Exact Time and What Each Phase Is For

The moon phases in August 2026 include something the calendar does not see every year. The new moon on the twelfth is a total solar eclipse, which means the darkest point of this lunar month is darker than usual, in the literal sense.

Below are the four principal moon phases of August 2026 with exact times in UTC, New York and Bali, the sign each falls in, and what each is traditionally used for. If sources seem to disagree on dates, the answer is almost always time zones. A phase happens at a single instant worldwide. Only the local clock changes.

Moon Phases August 2026: The Four Key Dates

Last Quarter Moon. 6 August 2026 at 02:21 UTC. That is 5 August at 10:21 pm in New York and 6 August at 10:21 am in Bali. The moon sits in Taurus, half lit and shrinking.

New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse. 12 August 2026 at 17:36 UTC. That is 12 August at 1:36 pm in New York and 13 August at 1:36 am in Bali. The moon sits at nineteen degrees of Leo, exactly conjunct the sun, which is what an eclipse is.

First Quarter Moon. 20 August 2026 at 02:46 UTC. That is 19 August at 10:46 pm in New York and 20 August at 10:46 am in Bali. The moon sits in Scorpio, half lit and growing.

Full Moon. 28 August 2026 at 04:18 UTC. That is 28 August at 12:18 am in New York and 28 August at 12:18 pm in Bali. The moon sits at four degrees of Pisces.

The Waning Moon: 1 to 12 August 2026

The first twelve days of August 2026 belong to the waning moon, the half of the cycle that runs downhill. Illumination drops from ninety four percent on the first to under one percent on the twelfth. This is the release half of the lunar month, and traditions from Ayurveda to Balinese ritual practice treat it the same way: a time for finishing rather than starting, for clearing rather than acquiring.

Practically, this is the window for the tasks you keep deferring. Closing accounts. Ending arrangements that quietly stopped working. Anything with the word out in it. It is also the traditional window for cutting hair you want to grow back thicker rather than faster, covered in detail in our lunar hair calendar for August 2026.

The final three days, 9 to 11 August, are the balsamic phase. Under twenty percent light. These are rest days in almost every tradition that tracks the moon, and the single most useful three days of the month to leave deliberately unscheduled.

The Total Solar Eclipse New Moon: 12 August 2026

A new moon happens when the moon passes between earth and sun and shows us her unlit side. Usually she passes slightly above or below the sun from our vantage point. On 12 August 2026 she crosses directly over it, producing a total solar eclipse visible across parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, and a partial eclipse across much of Europe and North America.

Eclipse new moons are not treated as ordinary new moons. The usual advice to set intentions is generally set aside, because eclipse energy tends to remove rather than plant. Most practitioners recommend observing rather than initiating, and waiting until the moon is visibly waxing again before starting anything you care about. We have written separately on what the total solar eclipse in Leo means and on whether you should cut your hair during an eclipse.

The Waxing Moon: 13 to 28 August 2026

The waxing moon in August 2026 begins on 13 August, the first evening after the eclipse, and runs to the full moon on the twenty eighth. This is the building half of the cycle and it splits into two distinct stretches.

Waxing crescent, 13 to 19 August. Illumination climbs from two percent to thirty nine percent. Thin, delicate, easy to miss in the sky. Traditionally the phase for beginning quietly. Signing, planting, first conversations, first drafts. Nothing that requires an audience yet.

Waxing gibbous, 21 to 27 August. Illumination climbs from fifty eight percent to ninety nine percent. This is the refining phase. Not the phase for new ideas, the phase for correcting the ones already in motion so they are ready by the full moon.

Between them sits the first quarter on the twentieth, in Scorpio, which is the traditional decision point of the lunar month. Whatever you began on the crescent will meet its first real resistance around this date. That is by design, not misfortune.

How to Use the August 2026 Moon Phases in Daily Life

The value of a moon phase calendar is not prediction. It is rhythm. Most of us run every week at the same intensity and then wonder why the output is uneven. The moon offers a fourteen day up and a fourteen day down.

The simplest version: rest hard from 9 to 12 August. Start things between 13 and 20 August. Push them between 21 and 28 August. Finish and release from 29 August until the next new moon on 11 September.

The same instinct applies to what you put on your body. We have written about dressing by moon phase and caring for your hair by moon phase, both following the same fourteen day logic.

Common Questions About the Moon Phases in August 2026

When is the full moon in August 2026? The full moon is on 28 August 2026 at 04:18 UTC, which is 12:18 am on 28 August in New York and 12:18 pm on 28 August in Bali. It falls at four degrees of Pisces.

When is the new moon in August 2026? The new moon is on 12 August 2026 at 17:36 UTC, which is 1:36 pm in New York and 1:36 am on 13 August in Bali. It is also a total solar eclipse at nineteen degrees of Leo.

When is the waxing moon in August 2026? The waxing moon runs from 13 August to 28 August 2026. The waxing crescent is 13 to 19 August, the first quarter is 20 August, and the waxing gibbous is 21 to 27 August.

Is there an eclipse in August 2026? Yes. There is a total solar eclipse on 12 August 2026, visible in totality across parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, and as a partial eclipse across much of Europe and North America.

When is the first quarter moon in August 2026? The first quarter moon is on 20 August 2026 at 02:46 UTC, which is 10:46 pm on 19 August in New York and 10:46 am on 20 August in Bali. It falls in Scorpio.

What are the four moon phases in August 2026? Last quarter on 6 August, new moon and total solar eclipse on 12 August, first quarter on 20 August, and full moon on 28 August. The next new moon after this cycle falls on 11 September 2026.

The moon does not ask you to believe in her. She only asks you to notice she has kept the same appointment for four and a half billion years, and that you might get more done keeping it with her.

With love from Bali,
Myrah.

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