Google Calendar is the go-to calendar app for most people organizing their lives online. While most of our interactions involve putting in appointments and reminders, you can display any number of different calendars in Google Calendar, including a moon phase or lunar calendar, which keeps you updated on the phases of the moon throughout the year. This tutorial shows you how to display the lunar calendar built into Google Calendar quickly.
Looking for an alternative instead? Check out these options if you want to try something other than Google Calendar.
Show Moon Phases in Google Calendar on PC
- Open your Google Calendar in your favorite browser. Make sure you’re signing in with your Google account. (Check what you can do if you’re locked out of your Google account.)
- Click the cog-shaped icon in the upper-right corner and select “Settings.”
- Click “Add calendar” in the left-hand pane and select “Browse calendars of interest.”
- Now, look on the right side. Scroll until you find the “Other” section and check the “Phases of the Moon” option.
- Return to your Calendar, and you should see that Moon Phase information has been added to it.
- Color-code the Moon Phase entries to spot this information more easily. To do so, first hover over your Moon calendar under “Other calendars” in the left sidebar, then click on the three dots that appear.
- A bunch of options will become visible, including a color palette, which lets you change the color of the Moon Phase entries in your calendar.
- Alternatively, you can access Settings from the same pop-up and change the name of the Moon Phase calendar to something else. Here, you’ll also find the public link to your calendar to share your Google Calendar with others. An embed link is also available.
- This is how your Calendar will look when sent to someone else:
Show Moon Phases on Mobile With Google Calendar
Unfortunately, the mobile Google Calendar app won’t show you the lunar phases even after you’ve enabled the option from your PC. However, with a workaround, you can still access this information from your mobile device, in case you really need it and you’re away from your PC.
- Open your mobile browser of choice on your device. We’ll use Chrome for this tutorial.
- Now search for “google calendar” via the search bar.
- Don’t press the first result just yet if you’re on an Android device. Most Android phones these days come with Google Calendar as their default calendar app. In most cases, this can’t be uninstalled from the device without extra effort, such as rooting your device. So in order to avoid your browser redirecting you to the app, long-press on the first result to open a menu.
- Select “Open in Incognito tab.”
- Log in with the same Google account you used to sign in with Google Calendar on your PC.
- You’ll be taken to an older version of Google Calendar for mobile. Tap on “Desktop” at the bottom of the screen to change the viewing mode.
- Your Google Calendar will be displayed in your mobile browser complete with lunar phases.
- On iPhone, you don’t need to worry about using Incognito mode. If you get rid of the Google Calendar app (if you have it installed), you should have no problem accessing the service in your mobile browser.
- You’ll need to switch to the “Desktop” view, i.e., “Request Desktop Website” to view your Google Calendar as you would in your PC browser.
Tip: get up to speed on how to delete and uninstall apps on Android completely.
Show Moon Phases on Mobile With a Third-Party App
If you don’t like the idea of checking your Google Calendar in a mobile browser, you can install a third-party app on your Android or iOS device to view the same information.
However, these apps won’t integrate all your other events and reminders, so you’ll still have to rely on the Google Calendar for those. If you prefer this approach, try one of these apps:
- My Moon Phase (Android | iOS)
- Phases of the Moon (Android)
- Daff Moon Phase (Android)
- The Moon: Calendar Moon Phases (iOS)
- Luna Solaria (Android | iOS)
Tip: check out the best time zone converters for easy scheduling of your Google Calendar events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are moon phases the same everywhere?
Moon phases are a cosmic phenomenon between the moon and the sun, affected by how much of the moon is illuminated by the sun. This means that wherever you are on Earth, you’ll experience the same moon phases, although those in the northern and southern hemispheres will see it from a different perspective, i.e., in the northern hemisphere, the moon increases its phase from right to left, and in the southern hemisphere from left to right.
Are moon phases cyclic?
Yes, the moon takes approximately one month (29.5 days) to orbit the Earth, during which time it completes its cycle from the new moon through the full moon to the waning crescent and back to the new moon.
How long is a moon phase?
This depends. Technically, the eight phases of the moon are really arbitrary markers because the moon is constantly orbiting the Earth and its “phase” really changes every single second throughout its cycle. But if we’re not being pedantic and just counting the eight phases, then each lasts about 3.69 days.
Are moon phases caused by the Earth's shadow?
No, the moon phases are caused by the amount of the moon that is illuminated by the sun, and our position relative to it. The Earth doesn’t affect the amount of the moon that’s shaded, but the sun (and when there’s an eclipse, it’s caused by the moon being positioned perfectly between the Earth and the Sun).
Image credit: Farzad Mohsenvand via Unsplash. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
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