Moon in Portland Today — Waning Gibbous
Current lunar phase and 30-day moon calendar for Portland, United States. Updated hourly.
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Portland, United States — May 5, 2026
Waning Gibbous
80% illuminated · 19.2 days into cycle
Lunar Data for Portland — Today
| Moonrise | 12:01 AM |
| Moonset | 8:06 AM |
| Phase | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| Illumination | 80% |
| Moon Age | 19.2 days into lunar cycle |
| Distance | 405,221 kmMicromoon |
🌕
Next Full Moon
May 30, 2026
Flower Moon
in 26 days
🌑
Next New Moon
May 15, 2026
in 11 days
Moon in Portland — Did You Know?
- ·Portland's large Japanese American community in the Buckman and Irvington neighborhoods has preserved the tradition of Tsukimi (moon-viewing) since the early 20th century — autumnal moon-gazing gatherings with sake, rice dumplings, and pampas grass arrangements that predate the city's famous craft beer culture by decades.
- ·Portland's location in the Willamette Valley between the Cascades and the Coast Range means the full moon rises in dramatic fashion over Mount Hood, Oregon's iconic stratovolcano to the east — on clear nights, the 11,250-foot snowcapped peak acts as a gleaming silver pedestal for the rising moon.
- ·At latitude 45.5°N, Portland sees the winter full moon reach a maximum altitude of about 68° above the southern horizon — lower than most major American cities — producing long, low-angle moonlight that casts extraordinarily elongated shadows from Portland's famous Douglas firs and creates a deeply atmospheric winter nightscape.
30-Day Moon Phase Calendar — Portland
| Date | Phase | Illumination |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 🌖Waning Gibbous | 80% |
| May 6 | 🌖Waning Gibbous | 70% |
| May 7 | 🌗Last Quarter | 60% |
| May 8 | 🌗Last Quarter | 50% |
| May 9 | 🌗Last Quarter | 39% |
| May 10 | 🌘Waning Crescent | 29% |
| May 11 | 🌘Waning Crescent | 20% |
| May 12 | 🌘Waning Crescent | 12% |
| May 13 | 🌘Waning Crescent | 6% |
| May 14 | 🌑New Moon | 2% |
| May 15 | 🌑New Moon | 0% |
| May 16 | 🌑New Moon | 0% |
| May 17 | 🌑New Moon | 3% |
| May 18 | 🌒Waxing Crescent | 8% |
| May 19 | 🌒Waxing Crescent | 14% |
| May 20 | 🌒Waxing Crescent | 22% |
| May 21 | 🌓First Quarter | 32% |
| May 22 | 🌓First Quarter | 42% |
| May 23 | 🌓First Quarter | 53% |
| May 24 | 🌓First Quarter | 63% |
| May 25 | 🌔Waxing Gibbous | 73% |
| May 26 | 🌔Waxing Gibbous | 82% |
| May 27 | 🌔Waxing Gibbous | 89% |
| May 28 | 🌔Waxing Gibbous | 95% |
| May 29 | 🌕Full Moon | 99% |
| May 30 | 🌕Full Moon | 100% |
| May 31 | 🌕Full Moon | 99% |
| Jun 1 | 🌖Waning Gibbous | 96% |
| Jun 2 | 🌖Waning Gibbous | 91% |
| Jun 3 | 🌖Waning Gibbous | 84% |
Related Pages — Portland
Frequently Asked Questions
Tonight the moon in Portland is in the Waning Gibbous phase. It is 80% illuminated and 19.2 days into the current lunar cycle. Moon phases are the same worldwide — only the exact local clock time of moonrise and moonset differs by location.
The next full moon occurs on May 30, 2026, which is 26 days from today. During a full moon the Moon is 100% illuminated as seen from Earth.
The next new moon occurs on May 15, 2026, in 11 days. The new moon marks the start of a fresh 29.5-day lunar cycle and is not visible in the night sky.
A lunar (synodic) cycle lasts approximately 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes — or 29.53 days. It runs from one new moon to the next, passing through 8 distinct phases: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent.
No — the moon phase (the fraction of the Moon illuminated) is the same everywhere on Earth at any given moment. However, moonrise and moonset times, as well as the moon's altitude in the sky, vary by location. The moon also appears upside-down in the Southern Hemisphere compared to the Northern Hemisphere.
The moon rises at approximately 12:01 AM local time in Portland tonight. Moonrise shifts about 50 minutes later each night as the Moon moves eastward along its orbit, completing a full cycle roughly every 29.5 days.
The next full moon on May 30, 2026 is known as the Flower Moon. These traditional names — originating with Native American tribes and later adopted in the Farmer's Almanac — each reflect a seasonal event or natural phenomenon of that month visible from the Northern Hemisphere.
The Moon is currently at approximately 405,221 km — on the far side of its orbit (apogee), making it a micromoon. It appears slightly smaller than average. A supermoon occurs when the full moon coincides with perigee, bringing the Moon within roughly 360,000 km of Earth. The Moon's distance varies between ~356,500 km (perigee) and ~406,700 km (apogee).
From Portland at 45.5°N latitude, the full moon's maximum altitude above the horizon varies by season. In the local hemisphere's winter — when the full moon is opposite a low winter sun — it can reach roughly 68° above the horizon. In summer it arcs lower, around 21°. This seasonal variation is the same reason the sun is high in summer and low in winter.
The Moon's phase is identical everywhere on Earth simultaneously. However, its orientation in the sky differs by hemisphere: in the Northern Hemisphere the waxing crescent curves to the left; in the Southern Hemisphere it curves to the right. From Portland at 45.5°N, the Moon arcs through the southern sky. Moonrise and moonset times also differ by longitude — a city 15° to the east sees the Moon rise roughly 1 hour earlier.
From the Blog
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