Moon Phase Tampere

Moon Phase Tampere: Last Quarter

On Sunday, October 4, 2026, the moon in Tampere is a Last Quarter with 45% illumination. Moon age: 22.6 days.

Illumination
45%
Moon Age
22.6d
Next Full Moon
Oct 26
Distance
--
☽ Moonrise
11:03 PM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
6:09 PM

moon-phase-tampere-finland-skyline

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Tampere, Finland

Tampere sits at roughly 61.5°N in the heart of the Finnish Lakeland, Finland's third-largest city. It's built on a narrow isthmus between two large lakes, Näsijärvi to the north and Pyhäjärvi to the south, linked by the Tammerkoski rapids that once powered the textile mills that earned the city its old nickname, the "Manchester of Finland." It doesn't have an archipelago or an easy national-park escape on its doorstep, but it does have two wide lake surfaces, a couple of towers built specifically for the view, natural ridges shaped by the last ice age that look out over both, and an active astronomical society with its own observatory. At this latitude the Moon rises between north-east and south-east, and a summer full Moon stays very low, near 5°, while a winter one climbs to about 52°. Exact rise and set times and azimuth depend on the date and your observing position, so check both before planning a specific composition.

1

Tampere Ursa Observatory – Kaupin Water Tower

The observatory of the astronomical society Tampereen Ursa, founded in 1950, is housed in the Kaupin water tower at Kaupinpuistokatu 28. Its star shows point telescopes at the Moon, planets and other sky targets, with an alternative programme in the auditorium when it's cloudy. There are themed Sunday shows, summer solar shows that need no booking, and a traditional August Star Night, which has run from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Guides can chat in English at the August show. Entry has been ticketed, with concessions, a family ticket and free entry for members, and a lift serves the tower but a few flights of stairs remain. The observatory is open weather permitting, so check the society's current programme.

2

Näsinneula Observation Tower & Särkänniemi Planetarium

Tampere's defining landmark, in the Särkänniemi amusement park on the shore of Lake Näsijärvi, built in 1970–71. The tower reaches 168 metres, with a public deck high above the park and a slowly revolving restaurant. From that height the Moon rises over open water with the whole city and both lakes laid out below. The tower runs on a set schedule rather than staying open around the clock, so check current opening hours before planning an evening visit. The Särkänniemi planetarium in the same complex has run sky shows with Tampereen Ursa on alternate Saturdays.

3

Pyynikki Observation Tower & Ridge

A 26-metre stone tower on top of Pyynikinharju, an esker ridge often described as the highest gravel ridge in the world. The view takes in both Pyhäjärvi and Näsijärvi at once, and the café at the tower's base is locally famous for its doughnuts. The elevated viewpoint also works well for photographing bright night-sky targets such as the Moon, though the surrounding streets and houses limit it for fainter, deep-sky targets. The tower runs on a schedule, so check opening hours.

4

Pyykkimettä Park, Pispalanharju

A public park on the Pispala ridge, a couple of kilometres west of the city centre. It's one of the most photographed spots in Tampere for its view over Lake Pyhäjärvi and the colourful wooden houses of Pispala on the slope beneath it. Unlike the two towers above, it's a free public park rather than a ticketed attraction, and the ridge-top is exposed to wind, so dress for it.

5

Rauhaniemi, Kauppi–Niihama & Iidesjärvi

The Kauppi–Niihama forest is a large wooded recreation area on the city's north-east edge, bordering Lake Näsijärvi and laced with cross-country ski trails in winter, a less urban setting than the towers and ridges closer to the centre. Rauhaniemi beach, on the lake shore within the district, gives an open view out over the water. The Iidesjärvi bird tower, built in 1992 at the eastern end of the roughly 65-hectare lake, has flat, open wetland surroundings and a low horizon that suits watching the Moon climb clear of the treeline, but its nature trail has faded markers and rough sections, so treat it as a daylight walk. Bring a headlamp for the unlit trails.

6

Viikinsaari Island

A small recreational island in Lake Pyhäjärvi, about 3.5 km from the city centre and roughly a 20-minute boat ride from the Laukontori harbour in summer. Its western section, just over 10 hectares, is a protected nature area. It's a busy summer destination with a restaurant and events, so don't expect real darkness in July. Winter access depends entirely on current ice conditions, and the City of Tampere has flagged weak ice in the stretch of Pyhäjärvi between Pyynikki, Eteläpuisto, Hatanpää and Viikinsaari in recent winters, so check current official advisories before considering it.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography in Tampere

🌕 Full Moon ±1 day — the widest horizons here are the open surfaces of Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi themselves
❄ Nov–Feb — long dark nights, with ice often forming on the lakes during the colder part of winter and a full Moon climbing to about 52°
🌙 Mar–Apr & Sep–Oct — dark enough, without the deep winter cold
☀ May–Jul — very short nights and bright twilight, with a full Moon that stays very low, near 5°; little true darkness around midsummer
🥶 Winter nights can occasionally fall well below −15°C — check the forecast and dress accordingly
🔭 Star shows — Tampere Ursa Observatory, weather permitting

📷 Quick Photography Tips for Tampere

🎯A tripod helps at the open ridge spots — Pyykkimettä and Pyynikki both catch wind — while the enclosed deck at Näsinneula is more sheltered
🔋Cold drains batteries fast — carry spares in an inner pocket and swap them rather than waiting for one to die
🌙Where lake ice is confirmed safe by current official advisories, the frozen surface of Näsijärvi or Pyhäjärvi can put the Moon over a broad expanse of open ice and water — never judge ice safety yourself
🌟Pyynikki's elevated viewpoint can work well for photographing bright targets such as the Moon, though surrounding urban lighting limits it for fainter, deep-sky photography
📏Looney 11 as a starting point: f/11, ISO 100, 1/100s for a bright full Moon — not a guaranteed exposure, so check the histogram, especially over snow and ice
🌧Check the Finnish Meteorological Institute for cloud and wind before heading out

🕐 Timezone: Tampere runs on EET (UTC+2), shifting to EEST (UTC+3) for daylight saving time, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Double-check your moonrise app is set to Tampere and not carrying over a stale offset across the DST switch.

🔭 Telescope Option: The Tampere Ursa Observatory in the Kaupin water tower, Kaupinpuistokatu 28, runs star shows with telescopes pointed at the Moon, planets and other targets, themed Sunday shows and summer solar shows, weather permitting. Check the society's current programme for dates. For the moon phase in any other city, use the calculator on our home page.

Enjoy the Moon over Tampere — a city built on an isthmus between two lakes, where its ridges and observation towers open dramatic views across the water.

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

◐ What the Experience Actually Feels Like

Tampere doesn't have a ready-made national park at its edge. What it has instead is a city whose geography and history are inseparable from the water around it — from the red-brick mills that once lined the Tammerkoski rapids to a 168-metre observation tower built in 1970–71 to give the city a major elevated viewpoint. That combination of ridges and towers turns out to suit the Moon rather well: there's rarely just one place to watch it from here, and several of the best are free and unstaffed.

In winter, when daylight is limited to only a few hours, some years bring ice stable enough for people to travel on designated or locally monitored routes across parts of the lakes — though conditions vary considerably from year to year and should always be checked against current official advisories before anyone goes onto the ice. When it holds, a full Moon over that kind of open surface does something a forest or a city street can't: it lights a wide stretch of ground at once, with little standing between you and the horizon.

Around midsummer, as everywhere in southern Finland, the sky barely gets properly dark, and a night out with the Moon is really a late-twilight walk instead. By deep winter that reverses completely — long nights, hard cold, a skyline of towers and ridges built with the view across the lakes in mind, and an observatory in a water tower where the society's guides point the telescopes at the Moon.

"Tampere didn't set aside a wilderness for the view — it built towers and climbed its own ridges instead, and in a good winter, the ice adds one more, ever-changing vantage point."

✓ Your Tampere Moon Chase Checklist

Before You Go

  • Check the moonrise time and phase on this page for each night of your stay
  • If visiting Näsinneula or Pyynikki tower, check current opening hours — both run on a schedule rather than staying open around the clock
  • Check the Tampere Ursa Observatory's programme for its next star show — it is open weather permitting, and entry has been ticketed
  • For Viikinsaari, check the summer ferry timetable from Laukontori; don't assume winter ice access — check current official ice advisories first, since conditions on Pyhäjärvi vary and have been flagged as unsafe in places
  • Between late March and late October, remember Finland shifts to EEST — re-verify your moonrise app's offset
  • In autumn or winter, check the aurora forecast alongside the moon phase

What to Bring

  • Proper winter layers — Tampere's inland winters bring long cold spells, with nights occasionally well below −15°C
  • A headlamp for unlit trails in Kauppi–Niihama or on Viikinsaari's nature reserve side
  • A tripod, useful at open ridge spots like Pyykkimettä and Pyynikki
  • If any lake-ice travel is planned: appropriate ice-safety equipment and a check of current official advisories, not your own judgment of the ice
  • Spare camera batteries kept warm in an inner pocket

On the Night

  • Arrive 20–30 minutes before moonrise, allowing extra time if you're working around a tower's closing schedule at Näsinneula or Pyynikki
  • At Pyykkimettä or Pispala, dress for exposed ridge-top wind
  • Confirm the last Viikinsaari boat of the evening in summer; in winter, only consider the island if current official advisories confirm the route is safe
  • Shoot RAW and bracket exposures — a bright winter Moon over snow and ice needs different handling than the same Moon over dark water or city streets
  • Watch the northern sky as well as the Moon on clear winter nights — you may get both in the same frame
The Moon over Tampere shifts with the seasons like everywhere else in southern Finland — washed out by June's endless twilight, then returning over a skyline of towers and, in a good winter, frozen lakes by December. Lake ice thickness varies through the winter and from year to year, and weak ice has been reported in parts of Pyhäjärvi in recent winters, so check current municipal advisories before considering any lake-ice travel, and treat posted warnings as authoritative rather than judging the ice yourself. Use the phase calendar on this page, check tower hours or current ice advisories before you set out, and dress for the cold. It's worth it.

? Tampere Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Tampere?

The moon phase today in Tampere is a Last Quarter with 45% illumination. The next full moon is in 23 days, on 26 Oct. Moonrise is at 11:03 PM and moonset at 6:09 PM.

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

Tampere sits in the Finnish Lakeland on a narrow isthmus between Näsijärvi to the north and Pyhäjärvi to the south, joined by the Tammerkoski rapids, so the widest horizons are the lake surfaces and the high points above them. The 168 m Näsinneula tower in the Särkänniemi park looks out over both lakes, and the Pyynikki observation tower stands on a famous esker ridge with views of both at once. Pyykkimettä Park on the Pispala ridge looks over Pyhäjärvi, and Rauhaniemi's beach and the Iidesjärvi bird tower give open, low horizons. In summer a ferry from Laukontori reaches Viikinsaari island.

Q. Can I look at the moon through a telescope in Tampere?

Yes. The Tampere Ursa observatory, run by the astronomical society Tampereen Ursa, is in the Kaupin water tower at Kaupinpuistokatu 28. Its star shows point telescopes at the moon, planets and other sky targets, and in cloudy weather there is an alternative programme in the auditorium. It also runs themed Sunday shows, summer solar shows that need no booking, and an August Star Night that has run from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., with guides who can chat in English. Entry has been ticketed, with concessions and a family ticket and free entry for members. A lift serves the tower but a few flights of stairs remain. Check the society's current programme, since the observatory is open weather permitting. In cooperation with Ursa, the Särkänniemi planetarium also runs sky shows on alternate Saturdays.

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

At about 61.5°N, Tampere's moonrise and moonset points swing widely across the horizon each month, from roughly north-east to south-east for rising and north-west to south-west for setting, a wider swing than further south, and wider still in years near a major lunar standstill. A full moon near the winter solstice climbs to roughly 52° in the south, while a full moon near the summer solstice stays very low, peaking near 5°. The two big lakes lie north and south of the city, so the water opens the horizon in those directions. Check the azimuth for your date and exact spot.

Q. Is light pollution a problem for moon observing in Tampere?

The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Tampere, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Tampere is a large city, so the elevated viewpoints at Pyynikki work well for bright targets such as the moon, but the surrounding streets and houses limit them for fainter, deep-sky targets. The wooded Kauppi–Niihama area on the north-east edge is less urban. Around midsummer the sun stays within about 5° of the horizon all night, so there is little true darkness.

Q. What camera settings and phases work best for moon photography in Tampere?

For a full moon, start with Looney 11 (f/11, ISO 100, 1/100 s) and refine using your histogram, since it is a baseline rather than a guarantee. Shoot RAW and bracket exposures, because a bright winter moon over snow and ice needs different handling than the same moon over dark water or city streets. Use a tripod at the open ridge spots, since Pyykkimettä and Pyynikki both catch wind, while the enclosed deck at Näsinneula is more sheltered. Arrive 20 to 30 minutes before moonrise, with extra time if you are working around a tower's closing schedule.

Q. How do cold, lake ice and the aurora season affect moon viewing in Tampere?

Tampere's inland winters bring long cold spells, with nights occasionally well below −15 °C, and cold drains camera batteries fast, so carry spares in an inner pocket. Lake ice varies through the winter and from year to year, and the city has flagged weak ice on parts of Pyhäjärvi in recent winters, so check current official advisories and never judge the ice yourself. On clear autumn and winter nights it is worth watching the northern sky for the aurora as well as the moon. Check the Finnish Meteorological Institute for cloud and wind.

Q. What time zone are Tampere's moonrise and moonset times shown in?

Tampere runs on Eastern European Time, EET, UTC+2, in winter and Eastern European Summer Time, EEST, UTC+3, in summer. Clocks go forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October, and moonrise and moonset times on this page follow the local clock in effect on each date, so re-check any moonrise app's offset across the change. Tampere lies at about 23.8°E, west of the 30°E meridian on which Eastern European Time is based, so the sun and moon cross the sky about 25 minutes later on the clock than they would on that meridian.

Q. Can I shoot the moon at Tampere's viewpoints after dark?

Mostly, with care, but check each place. Näsinneula and the Pyynikki tower run on a schedule rather than staying open around the clock, so check current opening hours. The summer ferry to Viikinsaari runs on a timetable, and in winter the island should only be considered if current official ice advisories confirm the route is safe. Trails in Kauppi–Niihama and the nature reserve side of Viikinsaari are unlit, so bring a headlamp. The nature trail at the Iidesjärvi bird tower has faded markers and rougher sections, so treat it as a daylight walk.