Moon Phase Today Hatay

Moon Phase Today Hatay: Last Quarter

On Sunday, October 4, 2026, the moon in Hatay 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
—
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
2:46 PM

current-moon-phase-tonight-Hatay, Turkey

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Hatay, Turkey

Hatay stretches along the eastern Mediterranean, with coastal plains and beaches backed in places by the steep Amanos Mountains. The sea lies to the west of Samandağ, the direction the Moon sets, so a setting Moon can drop over the water, while a rising Moon comes up over the land behind you. Forested high ground inland gives elevated viewpoints above the haze. Hatay was severely damaged by the February 2023 earthquakes, and some historic buildings, roads and sites remain damaged or closed, so check current access before planning any visit. Exact Moonrise and Moonset directions change with the date and your observing position, so check both before planning a specific composition.

Samandağ & Çevlik – Sea Horizon and Titus Tunnel

A long sandy beach at Samandağ gives a broad west-facing horizon over the Mediterranean, the best place in the province for a Moonset over the sea. The Vespasianus Titus Tunnel lies at the foot of the Nur Mountains near the village of Çevlik. Construction began under the Roman emperor Vespasian in AD 69 and continued under Titus, with completion in the 2nd century under Antoninus Pius, according to GoTürkiye. The 1,380 m tunnel was carved entirely through bedrock to divert floodwaters and protect the ancient city and port of Seleucia Pieria. Check access to the tunnel before an evening visit.

St Simeon Monastery Hill – Elevated Historic Site

The Monastery of St Simeon Stylites the Younger stands on a hill in Samandağ district, at Aknehir on the road toward Samandağ, according to official tourism material. It is an elevated historic location outside the dense urban area of central Antakya, with open horizons over the plain and toward the sea. It is a protected historic site, so check current access and stay on paths.

Musa Dağı – Historic Ridge Above Samandağ

A historic ridge above Samandağ, known as the site of the 1915 Musa Dagh resistance. The main crest runs above former villages, with open horizons toward the sea and the plain, and it is a useful elevated foreground for lunar photography. It is a mountain environment with no lighting, so check access and conditions before an evening visit.

Keldağ – Tectonic Coastal Ridge Near the Syrian Border

Keldağ is listed at about 1,730 m by a current Hatay environmental report, which describes it as tectonic in origin, and at 1,739 m by the provincial historical page. A coastal mountain extending toward the Mediterranean near Yayladağı, in the border area, it gives a high coastal viewpoint with open sea horizons. Because it lies near the Syrian border, check access and conditions before going.

Mığır Tepe & the Amanos Mountains – Forested Ridges

Mığır Tepe, at 2,240 m according to a recent Hatay environmental report, is the highest point of the Amanos Mountains in Hatay. The Amanos are a major mountain mass that shapes local rainfall, with strong orographic effects on the slopes, so cloud can build quickly. The forested ridges offer potentially darker skies than the coastal plain, though no dark-sky designation is listed. Ridges at this height are much colder, so check road and weather conditions.

Antakya & the Amik Plain – Open Plain Horizons

Antakya lies in the broad plain inland of Samandağ, on the Asi (Orontes) River, which reaches the Mediterranean near Samandağ. The flat plain gives open horizons for Moonrise over the land to the east. The city was badly damaged in the 2023 earthquakes and rebuilding continues, so conditions and access vary. Check current local information before visiting.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography in Hatay

🌕 Full Moon: rises near sunset and sets near sunrise — the timing and azimuth depend on the date and location, and a morning Moonset can drop over the Mediterranean
🌔 Waxing gibbous: useful for blue hour at Samandağ beach and the St Simeon hill — foreground still lit
🌊 Moonset over the sea — Samandağ and Çevlik face west
🌑 New Moon: for darker-sky work on the Amanos ridges, though no dark-sky designation is listed — check mountain weather

📷 Quick Tips for Hatay

🎯 Tripod for landscapes — a tripod suits landscape compositions, long lenses and bracketing. For lunar close-ups the Moon is bright enough to shoot handheld with a fast shutter.
📷 Shoot RAW and bracket — the sea and the forest are far darker than the lunar disc, so blend exposures to keep both.
📏 Looney 11 as a starting point — f/11, ISO 100, 1/100s for a full Moon, then adjust from your histogram, allowing for haze and sea reflection.
🌕 Longer lens for the landscape — a 200 mm or longer lens can isolate the Moon against distant mountains, the coastline or archaeological features.
🌃 Manual focus on the lunar limb or a distant light — confirm sharpness with magnified live view.
🌧 Check the forecast — coastal haze, mountain cloud and sea breeze all matter, so check the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) shortly before you go.

🕐 Timezone: Hatay uses Turkey Time (TRT), UTC+3, year-round. Turkey has used a single permanent time zone since September 2016 and does not observe daylight saving. Europe/Istanbul zone.

🔭 Telescope Option: A regular public telescope night is not widely advertised in Hatay. Check the municipalities' and universities' announcements for any sky-watching events.

Access: Mığır Tepe is reached by the Hassa road to the Amanos ridges, Keldağ by the Yayladağı road near the border, and Musa Dağı by the Samandağ road to the former villages. The Titus Tunnel is near Çevlik, and the St Simeon Monastery is at Aknehir on the road toward Samandağ. Since the 2023 earthquakes, check current conditions and protected-area rules before any visit.

Hatay works because you have sea level at Samandağ and high Amanos ridges just inland. Use the beach and the Titus Tunnel area for a broad Moonset over the Mediterranean, and the mountain villages and the monastery hill for elevation above haze.

The moon phase today in Hatay is shown above. For moon phase today anywhere else, visit the calculator on our home page.

◐ What It Feels Like

At Samandağ and Çevlik, the Mediterranean opens to the west, with a long sandy beach, and the Titus Tunnel carved through the bedrock just inland.

On the St Simeon hill, the coastal plain lies below, with open horizons outside the dense urban area of central Antakya.

On the Amanos ridges, the landscape is forested, and the mountains shape the weather, so cloud and rain gather on the slopes while the Mediterranean shines below on a clear night.

"From a sea-level beach at Samandağ to ridges at about 1,730 m and 2,240 m — Mediterranean horizons and Amanos forest."

✓ Checklist for Lunar Observers

Before You Go

  • Check moonrise and moonset azimuth for your date — the Moon's direction changes with its declination, and decides whether it sets over the sea
  • Check the MGM forecast for coastal haze and mountain cloud
  • Confirm access: the Titus Tunnel near Çevlik, Samandağ beach, the St Simeon hill at Aknehir, and the Amanos forest roads
  • Check for earthquake damage or closures at any historic site

What to Bring

  • Telephoto 200 mm or longer, and a wide lens for beach and mountain foregrounds
  • Tripod for landscapes and bracketing — a close-up Moon can be shot handheld with a fast shutter
  • Lens cloth for sea spray
  • A warm layer — the 2,240 m ridge is much colder than the coastal plain

On the Night

  • Manual focus on the lunar limb or a distant light
  • Bracket for the disc and the sea and forest foreground
  • Stay on paths — the ancient sites and forest are protected
  • Treat the higher ground as better skies, not dark-sky sites
Start low at Samandağ and Çevlik for sea-facing horizons, use the St Simeon hill at Aknehir for elevated plain views, then head up to Keldağ and Mığır Tepe for high, open sky above the Mediterranean.

? Hatay Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Hatay?

The moon phase today in Hatay is a Last Quarter with 45% illumination. The next full moon is in 23 days, on 26 Oct. Moonrise is at — and moonset at 2:46 PM.

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

Hatay stretches along the eastern Mediterranean, with coastal plains backed by the steep Amanos Mountains. Samandağ and Çevlik have a long sandy beach facing west over the sea, near the Roman Titus Tunnel, so a setting moon can drop over the water. Inland and higher, the monastery hill of St Simeon, Musa Dağı above Samandağ, Keldağ near the Syrian border, and the Amanos ridges, with Mığır Tepe at 2,240 m, give elevated, darker views. Hatay was badly damaged in the February 2023 earthquakes, so check current access to historic sites.

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

A regular public telescope night is not widely advertised in Hatay. Sky-watching events with telescopes are held in several Turkish provinces, but no recurring one has been found in Hatay, so check the municipalities' and the universities' announcements for any events, since observing depends on the weather. Binoculars show the moon's maria and larger craters well from the coast.

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

At about 36.2°N, Hatay's moonrise and moonset points swing widely across the horizon each month, from roughly east-north-east to east-south-east for rising and west-north-west to west-south-west for setting, with an even wider swing in years near a major lunar standstill. A full moon near the winter solstice climbs to roughly 77° in the south, while a full moon near the summer solstice stays lower, peaking near 30°. The Mediterranean lies to the west of Samandağ, the direction the moon sets, so a setting moon, mostly a waning moon in the morning or a crescent in the evening, can drop over the sea, while a rising moon comes up over the land behind you. Check the azimuth for your date and exact spot.

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

The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Hatay, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. The towns and the coastal strip are lit, so stars are fainter there, while the forested Amanos ridges inland are darker. No measured dark-sky designation is listed for them, so treat them as better, not dark.

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

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. The moon is much brighter than the sea and the forest, so shoot RAW and bracket or blend exposures to keep both crater detail and the foreground, and adjust for haze and sea reflection. A waxing gibbous suits blue hour at Samandağ beach and the monastery hill while the foreground is still lit. For close-ups the moon is bright enough to shoot handheld with a fast shutter, while a tripod suits landscapes, and a longer lens can isolate the moon against distant mountains or the coastline. Focus manually on the moon's edge or a distant light.

Q. How do sea haze, mountain cloud and rain affect moon viewing in Hatay?

Hatay has a Mediterranean climate, and coastal haze can lower contrast and soften a low moon over the sea. The Amanos Mountains have a strong effect on local rainfall, so cloud can build on the slopes and the ridges are much colder than the coast. Check the Turkish State Meteorological Service forecast for coastal haze, mountain cloud and sea breeze shortly before you go.

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

Hatay runs on Turkey Time, UTC+3, all year. Turkey has used a single permanent time zone since September 2016 and does not change its clocks. Moonrise and moonset times on this page follow the local clock. Hatay lies at about 36.2°E, west of the 45°E meridian on which UTC+3 is based, so the sun and moon cross the sky about 35 minutes later on the clock than they would on that meridian.

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

Mostly, with care, but check each place. Samandağ beach is a public beach, and the Titus Tunnel, the monastery and other ancient sites are protected, so stay on paths and check current opening arrangements. Keldağ lies near the Syrian border, so check access and conditions before going, and the Amanos forest roads can be difficult after rain. After the 2023 earthquakes, some historic buildings, roads and sites in Hatay remain damaged or closed, so check current conditions.