Moon Phase Today Cebu

Moon Phase Today Cebu: Waning Crescent

On Monday, October 5, 2026, the moon in Cebu is a Waning Crescent with 34% illumination. Moon age: 23.7 days.

Illumination
34%
Moon Age
23.7d
Next Full Moon
Oct 26
Distance
--
☽ Moonrise
12:28 AM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
1:35 PM

moon-phase-cebu-philippines

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Cebu City, Philippines

Cebu City sits at roughly 10.3°N on the central east side of Cebu Island, on a coastal plain facing the Mactan Channel, with rugged hills rising sharply a few kilometres inland to the west. That gives it a useful split: downtown plazas and the waterfront at sea level, and the Busay hills above the glare with a wide view back over the city and the channel. At this latitude the Moon rises and sets fairly close to due east and west and climbs high: a full Moon near the December solstice passes roughly 72° to 82° up, a little north of the zenith, while one near the June solstice crosses the southern sky at roughly 51° to 62°. The coast faces east, so moonrise can fall over the Mactan Channel and Mactan Island, while moonset falls behind the western hills. Cebu also has more going on in astronomy than most Philippine cities, from a private observatory in the hills to student telescope nights in the city centre. Exact rise and set times and azimuth depend on the date and your observing position, so check both before planning a specific composition.

1

Fuente Osmeña Circle

An established landmark and traffic circle with a fountain along Osmeña Boulevard, in the middle of the city. It gives sections of relatively broad sky for urban moon photography when the Moon's azimuth for your date lines up over the open circle. Evening access varies with traffic and events, so use the designated pedestrian areas only.

2

Plaza Independencia & Fort San Pedro

A historic public square beside Fort San Pedro, near the Port of Cebu, with open lawns and room to walk. It is spacious, close to the sea, and gives sections of relatively broad sky for moon photography when the azimuth lines up. Evening access varies, so check current hours before you go.

3

South Road Properties – Reclamation Waterfront

A reclamation and coastal development area south of downtown, bounded by water including the Mactan Channel. It is a development with waterfront sections, not an open public seawall, so usable areas vary. Where you can reach the water, an east-facing viewpoint can see the Moon rise over the channel when the rising azimuth for your date lines up, with a possible reflection. Use designated public waterfront sections only and check current access.

4

Tops Lookout – Busay Hill

A famous observation deck on Busay Hill, up Tops Road, with panoramic views over Cebu City, the Mactan Channel and Mactan Island. Listings give it as open 24 hours, with an entrance fee of around 100 pesos, and it is reached only by vehicle, with the road up as the main hazard after dark. The elevated viewpoint can frame a moonrise over the city and channel when the azimuth lines up. It is a commercial destination, so check current fees and conditions.

5

Taoist Temple – Beverly Hills

A multi-tiered temple built in 1972 in the Beverly Hills subdivision, listed at an elevation of about 300 metres, with a view over the city skyline and the water. The Temple of Leah is nearby in Busay. Both are in residential areas, so use the public viewing areas only and check current hours and access rules.

6

Akutsu Cebu Observatory & Telescope Nights

The Akutsu Cebu Observatory in Sudlon II is a private observatory set up by Japanese amateur astronomer Tomio Akutsu, and it has been reported photographing the Moon's surface during visits. Listings give evening opening hours and an entrance fee that includes meals, so check current booking details. In the city, student groups have held free telescope nights at the Cebu City Public Library on Osmeña Boulevard, observing the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter, though those were occasional events. PAGASA also lists a regional centre in Cebu with a 25 cm telescope for sessions arranged on request.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography in Cebu City

🌕 Full Moon ±1 day — the Moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, though exact times shift with the date, so use the moonrise times above
🌔 1–2 days before full — a waxing gibbous Moon rises before sunset, giving a useful blue-hour window with some colour left in the sky, which balances the lights of the city and the waterfront
🌊 Channel alignment — the coast faces east toward the Mactan Channel, so the Moon can rise over the water, with possible reflections, when the azimuth for your date and viewpoint lines up
☀ Dec–May — the drier months, with the best chance of a clear sky; a full Moon near the December solstice passes roughly 72° to 82° up
🌧 Jun–Nov — the rainy season, with typhoon activity typically peaking July to October; check PAGASA before heading out
🔭 Telescope nights — Akutsu Cebu Observatory and student groups, check their pages

📷 Quick Photography Tips for Cebu City

🎯Use a sturdy tripod at Fuente Osmeña but stay on the pedestrian areas, away from the traffic
📷Shoot RAW and expose for the lunar disc, because plaza and waterfront lighting is far dimmer than the Moon
📏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 and adjust for phase, haze and any channel reflections
🌕To make the Moon look large against the Fuente Osmeña fountain or the Fort San Pedro area, shoot from a substantial distance with a long telephoto lens: the distance sets the perspective and the long focal length lets you frame tightly
🌃Downtown Cebu is brightly lit; the Busay hills sit above much of the glare, though mountain haze can reduce contrast
🌧Check the current PAGASA forecast, tide levels for the Mactan Channel and wind advisories; haze, sea breeze and mountain cloud can reduce lunar contrast

🕐 Timezone: Cebu City runs on Philippine Standard Time (UTC+8) year-round; the Philippines does not observe daylight saving time. Photo-planning apps such as PhotoPills or Stellarium will work out the Moon's exact rise azimuth for any of these spots.

🔭 Telescope Option: The private Akutsu Cebu Observatory in Sudlon II is open to visitors, with listings giving evening hours and a fee that includes meals. Student astronomy societies have held free telescope nights at the Cebu City Public Library, and PAGASA lists a Cebu regional centre for sessions on request. Check each for current dates. For the moon phase in any other city, use the calculator on our home page.

Enjoy the Moon over Cebu City — a harbour city where the Moon can rise over the Mactan Channel, with a private observatory and a lookout in the hills above it.

The moon phase today in Cebu City 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

Downtown, the Moon shares the evening with the city. Fuente Osmeña Circle sits in the middle of the traffic along Osmeña Boulevard, and Plaza Independencia, beside Fort San Pedro and close to the sea, is a calmer place to walk and wait for moonrise. The sky is bright with city glow, but the Moon cuts through it easily, and at this latitude it climbs high rather than hugging the horizon.

The waterfront is where the east-facing coast matters. Because the city looks east across the Mactan Channel, the Moon can rise over the water and Mactan Island, with a possible reflection, when the azimuth for your date lines up, and the South Road Properties waterfront is one place to try, subject to access.

Up in the Busay hills, Cebu feels elevated. Tops Lookout, open around the clock, looks back over the city, the channel and Mactan from above much of the glare, and the Taoist Temple in Beverly Hills gives a similar hillside view. For the Moon through a telescope, the private Akutsu Cebu Observatory in the hills and the student telescope nights at the public library are the options, and the drier months from December make the better bet.

"Cebu has a coast that faces east and hills at its back — the Moon can come up over the channel, and the best seat for it may be a lookout above the city."

✓ Your Cebu City Moon Chase Checklist

Before You Go

  • Check the moonrise time and phase on this page for your date — some days have no moonrise at all
  • Tops Lookout is listed as open 24 hours with an entrance fee; check the current fee and conditions, and plan your vehicle and your return trip down the hill
  • Check the current hours and booking for the Akutsu Cebu Observatory, and the astronomy societies' pages for any telescope nights
  • Use PhotoPills or Stellarium to check whether the Moon will rise over the channel or line up with a landmark on your date
  • Check the current PAGASA forecast, tide levels for the Mactan Channel and wind advisories, especially from June to November

What to Bring

  • A telephoto lens, often 200 mm or longer, to frame the Moon tightly against the Fuente Osmeña fountain or Fort San Pedro, plus a wider lens for channel reflections
  • A sturdy tripod and a remote shutter release or 2-second timer to avoid shake
  • A lens cloth for humidity, sea breeze and haze; the Busay hills can also have mountain cloud in the evening
  • A light rain layer and water-resistant footwear during the rainy season, June to November
  • Some Philippine pesos for the Tops entrance fee, food and parking

On the Night

  • Arrive early at Fuente Osmeña and Plaza Independencia, which get busier after sunset, and expect Tops to depend on mountain traffic
  • Focus manually on the Moon's edge, since plaza and waterfront lighting can confuse autofocus at dusk
  • Bracket exposures: one for the bright lunar disc and another for the darker plaza, waterfront or ridge below
  • Stay in designated public areas and viewpoints, and avoid private residential areas in Beverly Hills and steep Busay ridges without permission
The Moon over Cebu City is best caught over the Mactan Channel from the waterfront, or from a lookout in the Busay hills when the azimuth for your date puts it over the city and the water. Plazas, developments and viewpoints have their own hours and fees, so check current conditions before any late-night setup. Use the tools on this page, pick your vantage point, and catch a Cebu moonrise or moonset for yourself.

? Cebu City Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Cebu City?

The moon phase today in Cebu City is a Waning Crescent with 34% illumination. The next full moon is in 22 days, on Oct 26. Moonrise is at 12:28 AM and moonset at 1:35 PM.

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

Cebu City sits on a coastal plain on the central east side of Cebu Island, with the Mactan Channel to the east and rugged hills rising a few kilometres inland to the west. Tops Lookout, on Busay Hill, is listed as open around the clock and gives a panoramic view over the city, the channel and Mactan, though it is reached only by vehicle. Fuente Osmeña Circle and Plaza Independencia, near Fort San Pedro, are the easy evening options downtown. The South Road Properties reclamation area has waterfront sections, and the Taoist Temple in Beverly Hills is a hillside viewpoint.

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

Yes, in a few ways. The Akutsu Cebu Observatory in Sudlon II, set up by Japanese amateur astronomer Tomio Akutsu, is a private observatory open to visitors, with listings giving evening hours and a fee that includes meals, so check booking and current hours. Student groups, the Indiana Aerospace University Astronomical Society and the University of San Carlos astronomy society, have held free telescope nights at the Cebu City Public Library on Osmeña Boulevard that included the Moon, though those were occasional events. PAGASA also lists Cebu among its regional centres with a 25 cm telescope for sessions arranged on request.

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

At about 10.3°N, the Moon in Cebu City rises and sets fairly close to due east and west. A full moon near the December solstice passes high overhead, roughly 72° to 82° up and a little north of the zenith, while a full moon near the June solstice crosses the southern sky at roughly 51° to 62°. The city's coast faces east, so moonrise can fall over the Mactan Channel and Mactan Island, depending on the date and your viewpoint, while moonset falls behind the western hills. Check the azimuth for your date and exact spot.

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

The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Cebu City, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Cebu City is a dense, brightly lit city, so stars are faint downtown and around the waterfront. The Busay hills, up the Tops Road, sit above much of the glare and give a wider view, though mountain haze and cloud can interfere, and the Akutsu observatory is in the hills too.

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

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 expose for the lunar disc, because plaza and waterfront lighting is far dimmer than the moon. To make the moon look large against the Fuente Osmeña fountain or the Fort San Pedro area, shoot from a substantial distance with a long telephoto lens, often 200 mm or longer. A waxing gibbous moon rises before sunset, giving a useful blue-hour window, and over the channel you can bracket exposures for reflections.

Q. How do the rainy season and typhoons affect moon viewing in Cebu City?

The Philippines has a rainy season from about June to November and a drier season from about December to May, with typhoon activity typically peaking from July to October. This is national climatological guidance, not a Cebu prediction. Cloud and humidity are the main obstacles, and sea breeze, haze or mountain cloud can soften the moon, especially in the Busay hills. Check the current PAGASA forecast, tropical-cyclone advisories, tide levels for the Mactan Channel and wind advisories before going out.

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

Cebu City uses Philippine Standard Time, UTC+8, all year, and the Philippines does not observe daylight saving time, so there is no clock change to account for. Cebu City lies at about 123.9°E, east of the 120°E meridian on which UTC+8 is based, so the sun and moon cross the sky about 15 minutes earlier on the clock than they would on that meridian.

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

Mostly, with care, but check each place. Tops Lookout is listed as open 24 hours, with an entrance fee listed at around 100 pesos, and the road up to Busay is the main hazard after dark. Fuente Osmeña Circle and Plaza Independencia are public spaces whose evening access varies with traffic and events. The South Road Properties area is a reclamation and commercial development, so use designated public waterfront sections and check current access. The Taoist Temple sits in a residential area, so use the public viewing areas and check its hours.