Current phase of the moon emoji-
copy & paste
See today’s moon phase as an emoji for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, updated in real time. click on the emoji to “Copy” it straight to your clipboard for texts, captions, or the Password Game.
See today’s moon phase as an image 🌕
🎮 The password game: moon phase emoji for rule 13
Rule 13 of Neal Agarwal’s The Password Game asks you to include the current phase of the Moon as an emoji in your password. It sounds simple, but since the answer changes every few days along with the lunar cycle, it catches most players off guard.
Today’s moon phase emoji
Use the copy tool at the top of this page to copy today’s moon phase emoji instantly. It updates automatically every day, so you’ll always get the right answer.
Why rule 13 is harder than it looks
Most rules in the Password Game test your creativity or knowledge. Rule 13 tests something different: whether you know where to look. The game validates your emoji against the actual current Moon phase, it depends entirely on the date.
There are eight possible answers, one for each phase of the lunar cycle:
🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘
The phase shown at the top of this page is the correct one for today.
A few things worth knowing before you paste
🌙 is not a valid answer. The crescent moon emoji is a general-purpose symbol used for night, sleep, and similar themes. The Password Game does not accept it as a phase emoji.
Pasting all eight emojis in a row sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. It depends on which version of the game you’re playing. Using only the single correct phase is the safer and more reliable approach.
Check the date if you’re playing close to midnight. The phase on this page updates at midnight UTC. If you’re playing right around that time in your timezone, it’s worth a quick refresh to make sure you have today’s emoji, not yesterday’s.
Bookmark this page for next time
Moon phases shift roughly every three to four days, so the correct emoji for Rule 13 will be different each time you play. Bookmark this page and come back whenever Rule 13 shows up. The tool at the top will always have the right answer ready.
All 8 moon phase emojis – copy & paste
Every moon phase has a dedicated Unicode emoji. Just highlight any emoji in the table above and copy it (Ctrl+C / Cmd+C), or use the one-click copy buttons in the tool above.
| Emoji | Phase Name | Unicode | Illumination |
| 🌑 | New Moon | U+1F311 | ~0% |
| 🌒 | Waxing Crescent | U+1F312 | 1-49% |
| 🌓 | First Quarter | U+1F313 | ~50% |
| 🌔 | Waxing Gibbous | U+1F314 | 51-99% |
| 🌕 | Full Moon | U+1F315 | ~100% |
| 🌖 | Waning Gibbous | U+1F316 | 51-99% |
| 🌖 | Last Quarter | U+1F317 | ~50% |
| 🌘 | Waning Crescent | U+1F318 | 1-49% |
The 8 phases of the moon and their meaning
🌑 New Moon
The Moon is between Earth and the Sun, so the illuminated side faces away from us, and the Moon is not visible.
Meaning: “New” marks the beginning of a new lunar cycle, historically seen as a fresh start or new month.
🌒 Waxing Crescent
A small curved sliver of light becomes visible as the Moon moves away from the Sun. The illuminated portion is increasing.
Meaning: “Waxing” means growing, and “crescent” refers to the thin, curved shape.
🌓 First Quarter
Half of the Moon appears lit, even though it’s only one-quarter of the way through its orbit around Earth.
Meaning: “First quarter” indicates the Moon has completed the first quarter of its cycle.
🌔 Waxing Gibbous
More than half of the Moon is illuminated, and the bright portion continues to grow toward full.
Meaning: “Waxing” means increasing, and “gibbous” means bulging or swollen.
🌕 Full Moon
Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, so the entire visible side of the Moon is fully illuminated.
Meaning: “Full” represents complete illumination; historically important for calendars, festivals, and nighttime visibility.
🌖 Waning Gibbous
After the full Moon, the illuminated portion begins to decrease, though more than half is still visible.
Meaning: “Waning” means shrinking, and “gibbous” refers to the still-rounded shape.
🌗 Last (Third) Quarter
Half of the Moon is visible again, but now the opposite side is illuminated compared to the first quarter.
Meaning: Called the “last” or “third” quarter because the Moon is about three-quarters through its cycle.
🌘 Waning Crescent
Only a thin crescent remains as the Moon approaches the end of its cycle and returns to new Moon.
Meaning: “Waning” means decreasing, and “crescent” describes the narrow curved shape.
Why use moon phase emojis?
Moon phase emojis are everywhere – and for good reason. Here’s where people actually use them:
- Social media captions: Instagram, TikTok, and X posts about night sky photos, mood updates, or astrology content. 🌕 and 🌑 are among the top 50 most-used emojis in astrology.
- Texts and messaging: a quick shorthand for “full moon tonight” or a vibe check without typing a word.
- The Password Game: Rule 13 of Neal Agarwal’s viral 2023 browser game requires you to include the current phase of the moon as an emoji in your password. It’s the rule that sends most players scrambling to Google.
- Astrology and weather apps: moon phase icons in apps like TimePassages and Weather Underground are based directly on these Unicode characters.
How is the moon phase calculated?
The Moon completes one full orbit around Earth every 29.53 days. This is the time from one New Moon to the next.
To find the current phase, we calculate the Moon’s age: the number of days elapsed since the last New Moon. That age maps directly to a phase:
| Moon Age (Days) | Phase |
| 0 – 1.85 | New Moon 🌑 |
| 1.85 – 7.38 | Waxing Crescent 🌒 |
| 7.38 – 9.22 | First Quarter 🌓 |
| 9.22 – 14.77 | Waxing Gibbous 🌔 |
| 14.77 – 16.61 | Full Moon 🌕 |
| 16.61 – 22.15 | Waning Gibbous 🌖 |
| 22.15 – 23.99 | Last Quarter 🌗 |
| 23.99 – 29.53 | Waning Crescent 🌘 |
Northern vs. Southern Hemisphere: The phase itself is identical everywhere on Earth – the Moon is always the same percentage illuminated. But the direction of the lit side appears flipped.
In the Southern Hemisphere, a waxing crescent is lit on the left, not the right. Unicode acknowledges this: the standard emoji set was designed from a Northern Hemisphere perspective, so Southern Hemisphere users effectively read the waxing/waning emojis in reverse.
Our tool above shows the correct emoji for your hemisphere automatically.
Unicode crescent symbols (non-emoji)
| Symbol | Unicode | Name |
| ☽ | U+263D | First Quarter Moon Symbol |
| ☾ | U+263E | Last Quarter Moon Symbol |
These render as text characters, not colorful emoji – appearance depends on your font. They’re common in astrology charts, printed almanacs, and astronomical notation.
Moon emoji with faces
Unicode also includes a set of moon face emojis. They’re not used for phase tracking, but they’re wildly popular in memes and reactions.
| Name | Emoji | Unicode |
| New Moon with Face | 🌚 | U+1F31A |
| First Quarter Moon with Face | 🌛 | U+1F31B |
| Last Quarter Moon with Face | 🌜 | U+1F31C |
| Full Moon with Face | 🌝 | U+1F31D |
FAQ’s ❓
Why does the moon phase emoji look different in the southern hemisphere?
The Moon’s illumination percentage is the same everywhere on Earth – but the angle you see it from is flipped. In the Southern Hemisphere, the lit portion of a crescent appears on the left during waxing phases, not the right. The standard emoji set (🌒🌘) was designed from a Northern Hemisphere viewpoint, so Southern Hemisphere users see the crescent “backwards.” Our tool corrects for this and shows the hemisphere-appropriate emoji.
What moon phase emoji is used in the password game?
Rule 13 of Neal Agarwal’s The Password Game (launched June 2023) requires you to include the current phase of the moon as an emoji in your password. The correct emoji changes daily. Bookmark this page and check the tool at the top whenever you play. Some guides suggest pasting all 8 emojis (🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘) as a workaround, though the game may flag this depending on the version.
How often does the moon phase emoji change?
The emoji changes 8 times per lunar cycle – roughly every 3–4 days on average, though the exact timing varies. The Full Moon and New Moon phases last about 1–2 days each; the crescent and gibbous phases last longer. The full cycle repeats every 29.53 days. The moon phase today emoji shown on this page updates at midnight UTC.
What is the difference between 🌙 and the moon phase emojis?
🌙 (U+1F319, “Crescent Moon”) is a decorative symbol – it represents night, sleep, or Islam in general usage. It does not correspond to a specific lunar phase.