January Full Moon Kicks Off Longest Moon Phase of 2024
By Graham Jones. Published 18-Jan-2024
The Moon will take 8 days, 5 hours, and 24 minutes to go from Full on January 25, to Third Quarter on February 2. That’s the longest time between two primary Moon phases this year.
Following the Wolf Full Moon of January 2024, 8.225 days will elapse until the Moon wanes (shrinks) to Third Quarter.
©iStockphoto.com/MEGiordano_Photography
January–February 2024: The Longest Phase
At the first Full Moon of 2024—the Wolf Moon at 17:54 UTC on January 25—the Moon will begin its longest phase of the year.
It won’t reach Third Quarter until 23:18 UTC on February 2—a relatively lengthy wait of 8.225 days.
The Moon’s Speed Varies
The Moon takes around 29.5 days to run through its cycle of primary phases: New, First Quarter, Full, Third Quarter, and then New again.
On average, therefore, it takes a little over 7 days to wax or wane from one Moon phase to the next.
But the Moon’s speed changes as it travels along its orbit: it moves more quickly when it is closer to Earth, and more slowly when it is farther away.
As a result, the period of time between primary Moon phases is never the same.
Shortest Phase Coming in August
The shortest Moon phase this year will occur between August 19 and 26.
The Moon will race from Full to Third Quarter in 6 days, 15 hours, and 0 minutes—just 6.625 days.
Duration of Moon Phases, 2024
The Three Longest...
| Phases | Dates | Duration (days) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full to Third Quarter | Jan 25 to Feb 2 | 8.225 | ||
| Third Quarter to New | Nov 23 to Dec 1 | 8.204 | ||
| Third Quarter to New | Oct 24 to Nov 1 | 8.197 |
...and the Three Shortest
| Phases | Dates | Duration (days) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full to Third Quarter | Aug 19 to Aug 26 | 6.625 | ||
| Third Quarter to New | Apr 2 to Apr 8 | 6.629 | ||
| First Quarter to Full | Nov 9 to Nov 15 | 6.648 |
Sources: timeanddate.com, JPL Ephemeris DE430