Moon Phase Today Kirklees UK

Moon Phase Today Kirklees UK: New Moon

On Friday, October 9, 2026, the moon in Kirklees 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
6:00 AM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
5:48 PM

moonrise-over-city-of-kirkless-uk

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Kirklees, UK

Kirklees is a West Yorkshire district built across hills and valleys, from Huddersfield and Dewsbury in the east to the Pennine moors and the edge of the Peak District in the west. The towns are built up, so the best views come from the hilltops and the open parks, and the darkest sky is up on the western moors.

Castle Hill and Victoria Tower – Hilltop Above Almondbury

A hilltop with over 4,000 years of human activity, the site of a medieval castle, and the Victoria Tower, completed in 1899 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It has extensive views over Huddersfield and the Pennines, and the Emley Moor mast stands to the east-south-east. Winds are unpredictable, paths are steep and uneven, and the car park barrier has set closing times.

Oakwell Hall Country Park – Open 24 Hours

A 110-acre country park in Birstall around Oakwell Hall, a Grade I listed Elizabethan manor furnished as a family home of the 1690s. Kirklees Council lists the country park as open 24 hours daily, with the Bradford Road car park also open 24 hours, which makes it the best-supported site here for a night session. The visitor centre car park keeps daytime hours.

Greenhead Park – Huddersfield

A Victorian park opened in 1884, with a bandstand, ornamental lake and Italian gardens, close to Huddersfield town centre. The lake can hold a reflection when it is still. The council says the park is open every day from 7am, with closing times that vary by season, so check them before an evening visit.

Stirley Nature Reserve – Garden of Stars

A dark-sky site off Hall Bower Lane where Huddersfield Astronomy Society runs regular practical stargazing sessions, with experts on hand to advise on equipment, and toilets on site. It follows the society's own schedule, so check its website or social media first. A good place for a telescope view of the moon.

Holme Moss and the Pennine Moors – Darkest Ground

The high moors in the west of the district, around Holme Moss, the Marsden Moor Estate and Digley Reservoir, which lies just within the Peak District National Park. Holme Moss summit is listed as a stargazing site. These moors are exposed, cold and often in cloud, so they suit a clear new-moon night and sensible clothing.

Crow Nest Park – Dewsbury

A park in Dewsbury that opened in 1893, with views across the surrounding towns and countryside according to the council. It is a good option on the eastern side of the district. Check council opening times before an evening visit.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography in Kirklees

🌕 Full Moon: rises near sunset, sets near sunrise — azimuth varies by date, and a summer full moon peaks only about 13° up in the south
📡 Moonrise beside the Emley Moor mast — from Castle Hill, a full moon around May and early August rises roughly in that direction
🌔 Waxing gibbous — useful for blue hour over the town from Castle Hill while some daylight remains
🌑 New Moon — best for stars on the western moors and at the Garden of Stars

📷 Quick Photography Tips for Kirklees

🎯 Use a sturdy tripod — Castle Hill has unpredictable winds
📷 Shoot RAW and bracket — park lawns and moorland are much darker than the Moon
📏 Looney 11 as a starting point: f/11, ISO 100, 1/100s for a bright full Moon, then check your histogram
🌕 For a moon-and-landmark shot, stand farther back and use a longer focal length of 200mm or more — Victoria Tower and the Emley Moor mast suit it
🌃 Focus manually on the Moon's edge using magnified live view
🌧 Check the Met Office for cloud, visibility, wind and ice, especially for the moors

🕐 Timezone: Kirklees runs on GMT (UTC+0) in winter and BST (UTC+1) in summer.

Horizons: Kirklees is hills and valleys, so higher ground such as Castle Hill clears the buildings and valley sides. From Castle Hill, the Emley Moor mast lies to the east-south-east.

Light: The valley towns are built up, with the M62 corridor and the glow of Manchester, Leeds and Bradford nearby. The western moors are darker.

Access: Oakwell Hall Country Park is listed as open 24 hours. Greenhead Park opens at 7am with seasonal closing times, and Castle Hill's car park barrier has set closing times. Check the council for everything else.

Kirklees works because it has real hills, a country park that never closes, and a local astronomy society with its own dark-sky site. Use Castle Hill for the view, Oakwell Hall for a night session, Greenhead Park for an easy early-evening moon, and the western moors for stars.

The moon phase today in Kirklees is shown above. For the moon phase today anywhere else, visit the Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator.

◐ What the Experience Actually Feels Like

On Castle Hill, Kirklees feels high and windy. The tower stands against the sky, the town spreads out below, and the Pennines roll away to the west.

At Oakwell Hall and Greenhead Park, it feels like parkland with history: a Tudor manor in a country park that never closes, and a Victorian lake with a bandstand.

On the western moors, it feels remote and dark. The towns fall away, the wind picks up, and on a clear new-moon night the stars take over.

"A hilltop tower above Huddersfield, a country park that never closes, and dark Pennine moors to the west."

✓ Your Kirklees Moon Chase Checklist

Before You Go

  • Check the moonrise time and azimuth for your date — a rising moon appears between north-east and south-east
  • Confirm access — Oakwell Hall Country Park is open 24 hours, Greenhead Park from 7am with seasonal closing, and Castle Hill's car park barrier has set closing times
  • Check the Met Office for cloud, visibility, wind and ice

What to Bring

  • A telephoto lens of 200mm or longer for a tight Moon, and a wide lens for the town and the hills
  • A tripod, and a remote shutter or 2-second timer
  • A lens cloth, and a red torch for the moors
  • A warm, windproof layer for Castle Hill and the moors

On the Night

  • Focus manually on the Moon's edge
  • Bracket exposures — one for the bright disc, one for the darker park lawns or moorland
  • Stay on paths, and take care on the steep, uneven ground at Castle Hill
  • A Green Flag award means well maintained, not open at night — check hours before you go
Start at Castle Hill for the view, use Oakwell Hall for a night session, and head up to Holme Moss or the Garden of Stars on a new-moon night for the darkest sky.

? Kirklees Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Kirklees?

The moon phase today in Kirklees is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 26. Moonrise is at 6:00 AM and moonset at 5:48 PM.

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

Castle Hill above Almondbury, topped by Victoria Tower and with over 4,000 years of human activity, a medieval castle site and extensive views over Huddersfield and the Pennines, gives the best sightlines. Oakwell Hall Country Park in Birstall, 110 acres around a Grade I listed Elizabethan manor, is open 24 hours daily. Greenhead Park in Huddersfield, opened in 1884, has a bandstand, ornamental lake and Italian gardens, and Crow Nest Park in Dewsbury, opened in 1893, looks across the surrounding towns and countryside. For darker, higher ground, the western moors around Holme Moss, Marsden Moor and Digley Reservoir lie on the Pennine and Peak District edge.

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

Yes. Huddersfield Astronomy Society holds regular practical stargazing sessions at its Garden of Stars site at Stirley Nature Reserve, off Hall Bower Lane, with experts on hand to give advice on equipment, and there are toilets on site. Sessions follow the society's own schedule, so check its website or social media before you go. The society also meets at Lockwood Park Bowling Pavilion. A bright moon is the easiest target for a first look through a telescope, while a new moon is better for faint objects.

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

At about 53.7°N, Kirklees' 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, with an even wider swing in years near a major lunar standstill. A full moon near the winter solstice climbs to roughly 60° in the south, while a full moon near the summer solstice stays very low, peaking near 13°, so it needs a clear view south. Kirklees is a district of hills and valleys, so higher ground such as Castle Hill clears the buildings and valley sides. From Castle Hill, the Emley Moor mast stands to the east-south-east, roughly where a full moon rises around May and early August, so a rising moon can appear beside it. Check the azimuth for your date and exact spot.

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

The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Kirklees, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Batley and the other towns in the valleys are built up, with the M62 corridor and the glow of Manchester, Leeds and Bradford nearby, so stars are faint in town. The western moors, around Holme Moss and the Peak District edge, are darker, and Holme Moss summit is listed as a stargazing site.

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

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 park lawns, hillfort ramparts and moorland, so shoot RAW and bracket or blend exposures to keep both crater detail and the foreground. A waxing gibbous is useful for blue hour over the town from Castle Hill while some daylight remains. For a moon-and-landmark shot with Victoria Tower or the Emley Moor mast, move farther back and use a longer focal length of 200 mm or more, with a sturdy tripod on the windy hilltop and manual focus on the moon's edge using magnified live view.

Q. How do cloud, wind and moorland weather affect moon viewing in Kirklees?

Kirklees has a cool, changeable climate with frequent cloud and rain, so clear lunar windows can be short. Kirklees Council warns that Castle Hill has unpredictable winds, and Victoria Tower can close at short notice in bad weather. The high moorland in the west is colder, windier and often in low cloud, and moorland roads can be affected by snow and ice in winter. Check the Met Office forecast for cloud, visibility, wind and ice before heading out.

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

Kirklees runs on Greenwich Mean Time, UTC+0, in winter and British Summer Time, UTC+1, 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. Kirklees lies at about 1.8°W, close to the Greenwich meridian on which GMT is based, so clock times track the sun and moon closely.

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

Mostly, with limits. Kirklees Council lists Oakwell Hall Country Park as open 24 hours daily, and its Bradford Road car park as open 24 hours, though the visitor centre car park keeps daytime hours, so it is the most dependable site for a night session. Greenhead Park is open every day from 7am, with closing times that vary by season, so check them. Castle Hill's car park has a traffic barrier with set closing times, the paths to Victoria Tower are steep and uneven, and the Tower is open only on certain dates, so check before an evening visit. Stay on paths, and take care on uneven ground in the dark.