There are 13 new moons in 2027. The first is on Thursday, January 7, at 3:24 p.m. Eastern Time (20:24 GMT), and the last is on Monday, December 27. August has two, on August 2 and August 31. Two new moons bring solar eclipses: an annular eclipse on February 6 and a total eclipse on August 2.
New moon dates and times for 2027
The table gives the exact moment of each new moon in US Eastern Time and in UK time. The times are from the U.S. Naval Observatory and agree with the phase tables of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
| No. | US Eastern Time | UK time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday, January 7, 3:24 p.m. EST | January 7, 20:24 GMT | |
| 2 | Saturday, February 6, 10:56 a.m. EST | February 6, 15:56 GMT | Annular solar eclipse |
| 3 | Monday, March 8, 4:29 a.m. EST | March 8, 09:29 GMT | |
| 4 | Tuesday, April 6, 7:51 p.m. EDT | April 7, 00:51 BST | |
| 5 | Thursday, May 6, 6:58 a.m. EDT | May 6, 11:58 BST | |
| 6 | Friday, June 4, 3:40 p.m. EDT | June 4, 20:40 BST | |
| 7 | Saturday, July 3, 11:02 p.m. EDT | July 4, 04:02 BST | |
| 8 | Monday, August 2, 6:05 a.m. EDT | August 2, 11:05 BST | Total solar eclipse |
| 9 | Tuesday, August 31, 1:41 p.m. EDT | August 31, 18:41 BST | |
| 10 | Wednesday, September 29, 10:36 p.m. EDT | September 30, 03:36 BST | |
| 11 | Friday, October 29, 9:36 a.m. EDT | October 29, 14:36 BST | |
| 12 | Saturday, November 27, 10:24 p.m. EST | November 28, 03:24 GMT | |
| 13 | Monday, December 27, 3:12 p.m. EST | December 27, 20:12 GMT |
EST and GMT apply in winter, EDT and BST in summer: the US is on daylight time from March 14 to November 7, 2027, and the UK is on British Summer Time from March 28 to October 31. For Central Time subtract one hour from the Eastern time, for Mountain Time two and for Pacific Time three.
Why does the date differ between the US and the UK?
A new moon is one instant for the whole planet, and only the clock reading changes from place to place. When that instant falls late in the evening in the eastern US, it is already the next calendar day in Britain. In 2027 this happens four times: the new moons of April 6, July 3, September 29 and November 27 in Eastern Time are dated April 7, July 4, September 30 and November 28 in the UK.
Farther east the shift is more frequent. The December 27 new moon, at 3:12 p.m. EST, falls in the early hours of December 28 in East Asia and Australia. A calendar that disagrees with this table by a day was most likely made for another time zone.
What is a new moon?
The Sun always lights half of the Moon. What changes over the month is how much of that lit half is turned toward us. At new moon the Moon is between Earth and the Sun, so the lit side faces the Sun and the dark side faces Earth. NASA calls it the invisible phase of the Moon.
There is a second reason it cannot be seen. A new moon is in the same part of the sky as the Sun, so it rises and sets with the Sun and is up only in daylight.
Over the following evenings the Moon moves away from the Sun in the sky, and a thin waxing crescent appears after sunset. The first quarter comes about a week after new moon and the full moon about two weeks after. The whole cycle takes 29.5 days.
Why are there two new moons in August 2027?
The cycle of phases is 29.5 days long, and every month except February is longer than that. When a new moon falls on the first or second day of a 31-day month, the next one arrives before the month is over.
In 2027 that month is August: there is a new moon on August 2 and a second on August 31. The dates hold in both US Eastern Time and UK time.
Which new moons of 2027 bring a solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse can only happen at new moon, when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun. It does not happen every month, because the Moon's orbit is tilted and the Moon usually passes above or below the Sun in our sky. In 2027 the alignment is close enough twice.
- February 6, 2027: annular solar eclipse. The Moon is too far from Earth to cover the Sun completely, and a ring of sunlight stays visible. According to NASA, the ring is seen from Chile, Argentina and the Atlantic, and a partial eclipse from South America, Antarctica and western and southern Africa. It is not visible from the US or the UK.
- August 2, 2027: total solar eclipse. The path of totality crosses Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia, and totality lasts up to 6 minutes 23 seconds. A partial eclipse covers Africa, Europe, the Middle East and western and southern Asia.
Looking at the Sun during any part of a solar eclipse needs proper eye protection; ordinary sunglasses are not enough. The safety rules, the path and the times are on our pages about the eclipses of 2027 and the total solar eclipse of August 2, 2027.
Which new moon starts Chinese New Year 2027?
The traditional Chinese calendar begins each month on the day of a new moon, and the year begins on a new moon in late winter. In 2027 that is the new moon of February 6. It falls at 15:56 GMT, which is 11:56 p.m. in Beijing, a few minutes before midnight. The date stays February 6 in China, and the Year of the Goat begins that day. The calendar of the holiday is on our Chinese New Year 2027 page.
The same new moon produces the annular solar eclipse described above. The two events share a cause, the new moon itself, and nothing more.
When are the darkest nights of 2027?
With no moonlight in the sky, the nights around each new moon are the darkest of the month. They are the ones stargazers pick for faint objects such as the Milky Way. A few days on either side of each date in the table are nearly as dark, since a thin crescent sets soon after the Sun or rises shortly before it.
For the bright nights of the year, see the full moon calendar for 2027. All four phases, month by month, are in our moon phases 2027 calendar.