Moon Phase Today Markham

Moon Phase Today Markham: New Moon

On Friday, October 9, 2026, the moon in Markham is a New Moon with 0% illumination. Moon age: 28.9 days.

Illumination
0%
Moon Age
28.9d
Next Full Moon
Oct 26
Distance
--
☽ Moonrise
6:23 AM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
6:10 PM

moon-centered-over-markham-ontario

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Markham, Ontario

Markham is flat Greater Toronto Area suburban terrain, so the best local viewpoints come from open ponds and historic walkable streets rather than any elevation. The date and your observing location together determine the moon's rise time and direction; your viewpoint determines how much of that horizon is actually unobstructed. One of Markham's major natural parks keeps seasonal, gated hours, so it's listed separately below — here are several locations that can work for evening moon viewing, subject to current site hours and conditions.

1

Toogood Pond Park

An 82-acre (33.3-hectare) park in Unionville built around a mill pond dating to 1839, with a walking path circling the water. Unlike Milne Dam Conservation Park, it doesn't have the same seasonal vehicle-admission system, though individual amenities such as the tennis courts post their own hours (7 a.m. to dark) — check current park conditions and posted hours before visiting after dark. The pond's surface can work well for a reflection shot. Address: Carlton Rd., Unionville.

2

Main Street Unionville

A well-preserved 19th-century village main street lined with independent shops, cafes, and restaurants, right next to Toogood Pond — a walkable, well-lit historic district that stays active into the evening on individual business hours. A convenient pairing with a Toogood Pond visit on the same trip.

3

Downtown Markham & Flato Markham Theatre

The city's civic and cultural core, anchored by the Flato Markham Theatre and Markham Civic Centre, with restaurants and shops nearby that keep the area active in the evening on their own hours — a convenient urban option if you'd rather not drive out to a park after dark.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography

🌕 Full Moon ±1 day — brightest phase, though not necessarily the most photogenic for every landmark shot
🌔 Days before full — the moon generally rises later each evening as full approaches, eventually rising around sunset at full moon, though the exact timing varies with the date and season
🧭 Landmark alignments — the moon generally rises somewhere along the eastern half of the horizon, but its exact rising azimuth shifts substantially with the date and your latitude, so check the exact date and viewpoint rather than assuming it will rise due east

📷 Quick Photography Tips

🎯Use a sturdy tripod, particularly in open areas around the pond where wind can pick up
📷Shoot RAW and expose for the moon — it's much brighter than the surrounding streetlights, water, or lawn landscape
📏Looney 11 rule — a useful starting point for a bright full moon: f/11, ISO 100, 1/100s, then check your histogram and adjust for phase, atmospheric conditions, and your equipment
🌕Low on the horizon, the moon can look strikingly large — that's the well-known "moon illusion," a perceptual effect rather than an actual change in angular size. A telephoto lens doesn't make the moon physically larger; it lets you tightly frame a distant moon together with a distant foreground object, which is how those striking "giant moon over the skyline" photos are made
❄️Check the forecast for cloud, visibility, wind, and winter cold — southern Ontario winters bring real cold snaps and can stay overcast for stretches
🕐 Timezone

Markham runs on Eastern Time — EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) in summer, following the standard Canadian daylight saving schedule. PhotoPills or Stellarium will handle the moon's exact rise azimuth for any of these spots automatically, as long as your device's clock is correct.

Enjoy the moon over Markham — a mill pond dating back to the 1830s, a well-preserved 19th-century main street, and a modern civic core all within a few minutes of each other.

The moon phase today in Markham is shown in detail above — complete with exact illumination percentage, moonrise/set times, and the best local spots to see it. For the moon phase today in any other city worldwide, visit our Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator on the home page.

◐ What the Experience Actually Feels Like

Around Toogood Pond, the mood is quiet and residential — the mill pond reflecting whatever light's available, geese settling in for the night, and the historic pace of Unionville just a short walk away.

Along Main Street Unionville, restaurant patios and cafe windows keep the historic strip lit and occupied, a contrast to the pond's stillness just steps away.

Around the Markham Civic Centre, the scale shifts to something more modern — the Flato Markham Theatre's marquee and nearby restaurants giving the area a different kind of evening energy than the older village core.

"Around Toogood Pond, the mood is quiet and residential — the mill pond reflecting whatever light's available, with the historic pace of Unionville just a short walk away."

✓ Your Markham Moon Chase Checklist

Before You Go

  • Check the moonrise time and rise azimuth for your date — the date and your observing location together determine the moon's rise time and direction, while your viewpoint determines how much of that horizon is unobstructed
  • Verify Site Access: Milne Dam Conservation Park, one of Markham's major natural parks, runs on a seasonal operating schedule (roughly mid-May through mid-October), with hours of 9 a.m. to dusk on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends during that season (admission fees apply on weekends and statutory holidays; weekdays are free). It's closed outside the operating season and isn't a reliable option for a nighttime visit, unlike Toogood Pond, Main Street Unionville, or downtown Markham — check the current season's exact dates before planning around it
  • Use PhotoPills or Stellarium to check whether the moon will align with a specific landmark on your date
  • Check the forecast for wind and, in winter, genuine cold and cloud cover
  • Confirm current rules on tripods and photography at your chosen venue, especially for anything beyond personal use

What to Bring

  • A telephoto lens can help frame the moon tightly against a Main Street Unionville storefront or nearby urban architecture downtown; longer focal lengths give you a tighter composition
  • Genuinely warm layers outside of summer — southern Ontario winters run cold
  • A remote shutter release or a 2-second timer to avoid shake on tripod shots
  • Spare batteries, particularly for long sessions or extended time outdoors
  • A flashlight or headlamp for the less-lit stretches of the Toogood Pond path after dark

On the Night

  • As a general recommendation, arrive at your viewpoint at least 30–45 minutes early, especially around Main Street Unionville on a weekend evening
  • Focus manually on the moon's surface detail or terminator (the light/dark boundary) — storefront and streetlight lighting can confuse autofocus at dusk
  • Bracket your exposures — one for the bright lunar disc, one for the darker pond, street, or civic plaza below
  • If the moon looks soft or hazy right at moonrise, consider waiting until it climbs higher above the horizon, when atmospheric effects are often less pronounced
  • Plan to be back at your vehicle before your chosen venue's posted closing time — don't count on staying past it
The moon over Markham moves between two very different stages — the quiet, reflective calm of a 19th-century mill pond, and the lit, modern energy of a civic core built two centuries later. Use the tools on this page, pick your vantage point, and catch a Markham moonrise for yourself.

? Markham Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Markham?

The moon phase today in Markham is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 26. Moonrise is at 6:23 AM and moonset at 6:10 PM.

Q. Where is the best place to view the moon in Markham?

Toogood Pond Park in Unionville, an 82-acre park built around a mill pond dating to 1839 with a walking path circling the water, is the standout, and the pond's surface can work well for a reflection shot. Main Street Unionville, a well-preserved 19th-century village street next to the pond, is a walkable, well-lit historic district that stays active into the evening on individual business hours. Downtown Markham, anchored by the Flato Markham Theatre and Markham Civic Centre, is a convenient urban option if you would rather not drive out to a park after dark. Milne Dam Conservation Park is a seasonal, gated option that is not suited to nighttime visits.

Q. Where does the moon rise and set in Markham, and how high does it climb?

At about 44°N, Markham's moon rises and sets roughly 35–40° either side of due east and west over each month, depending on its declination. A winter full moon climbs high, to roughly 70° above the southern horizon, while a summer full moon stays low, peaking at about 20°. Markham is flat Greater Toronto Area suburban terrain, so there is no elevation to gain and buildings and trees are the main horizon obstruction, which means your viewpoint determines how much of the horizon is actually unobstructed. Check the moon's rise azimuth for your date and viewpoint before assuming it will rise due east.

Q. Why does the moon look so large near the horizon, and how do I photograph it in Markham?

Low on the horizon the moon can look strikingly large, but that is the moon illusion, a perceptual effect rather than an actual change in angular size. A telephoto lens does not make the moon physically larger, but it lets you tightly frame a distant moon together with a distant foreground object, which is how "giant moon over the skyline" photos are made. For a bright full moon, start with the Looney 11 rule (f/11, ISO 100, 1/100 s), shoot RAW and bracket exposures to keep both the lunar disc and the darker pond, street or civic plaza below, and use a sturdy tripod in open areas around the pond where wind can pick up.

Q. How does Markham's winter weather affect moon viewing?

Southern Ontario winters bring real cold snaps and can stay overcast for stretches, so check the forecast for cloud, visibility, wind and cold before heading out, and bring genuinely warm layers outside of summer. Spare batteries are worth carrying for long sessions outdoors, and a flashlight or headlamp helps on the less-lit stretches of the Toogood Pond path after dark.

Q. Can I photograph the moon in Markham's parks after dark?

Access varies by site. Toogood Pond Park does not have the seasonal vehicle-admission system that Milne Dam Conservation Park uses, but individual amenities such as the tennis courts post their own hours, from 7 a.m. to dark, so check current park conditions and posted hours before visiting after dark. Milne Dam Conservation Park operates on a seasonal schedule, roughly mid-May through mid-October, with hours of 9 a.m. to dusk on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends, with admission fees on weekends and statutory holidays and free weekdays, and it is closed outside the season. Main Street Unionville and downtown Markham keep individual business hours, and you should confirm tripod and photography rules at your chosen venue.

Q. What time zone is Markham in, and does it observe daylight saving time?

Markham runs on Eastern Time, EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) in summer, following the standard Canadian daylight saving schedule, so moonrise and moonset clock times shift by an hour at each change. Planning apps such as PhotoPills or Stellarium will handle the moon's exact rise azimuth for any of these spots, as long as your device's clock is correct.