Moon Phase Today Augusta

Moon Phase Today Augusta: New Moon

On Friday, October 9, 2026, the moon in Augusta 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
6:31 AM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
6:28 PM

moon-phase-augusta-georgia

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Augusta, Georgia

Augusta lies on the central eastern border of Georgia directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina, at the head of its navigable portion in the Fall Line region where the Piedmont Plateau meets the Coastal Plain.

Riverwalk Augusta – Downtown Riverfront – Daylight to Evening

City park along the Savannah River in downtown Augusta alongside and on top of the levee. Features lower and upper levels with views of greenery, historical monuments and architectural masterpieces. Sites along the Riverwalk include St. Paul's Episcopal Church and museums. Best for moonrise, twilight and early-evening compositions when the Moon is above the horizon before closing — check current hours.

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park – South of Downtown – Daylight Hours

Ecological gem for experiencing nature with boardwalks, walkways and observation platforms overlooking the swamp. Offers miles of trails through cypress wetland with wildlife such as blue herons, otters and alligators in their natural setting. A premier destination for bird watching and wildlife photography with natural waterfront settings rather than a dark-sky site. Check current hours — many preserves close at dusk.

Savannah Rapids Park – Head of Augusta Canal

Riverside park at the head of the historic Augusta Canal with pavilion hosting events. Starting point for the canal trail with scenic views of the Savannah River, canal and historic textile mills. Provides open river and canal horizons with shaded canopies and flat terrain for walkers and cyclists.

Augusta Canal Trail – Savannah Rapids to Downtown

Historic scenic multi-use trail spanning from Savannah Rapids to downtown Augusta. Paved and hard-packed dirt paths wind past the canal, Savannah River and 19th-century mills, offering shaded canopies and open stretches for skyline and river compositions. Best within posted daylight hours.

Augusta Common – Downtown Urban Square

Urban oasis in downtown Augusta's heart featuring a life-size General Oglethorpe statue and open plaza for events. Provides open sky pockets in the city center for twilight viewing within posted hours.

Pendleton King Park – Wooded Park with Gardens

Wooded city park with gardens, playgrounds, dog park and disc golf. Offers natural clearings and pond reflections with more secluded settings away from downtown lighting — check current hours as it closes in the evening.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography in Augusta

🌕 Full Moon: rises near sunset, sets near sunrise — check azimuth for your date, direction varies through the month
🌔 Waxing gibbous: useful for evening and twilight over Savannah River
🌑 New Moon: darker skies away from downtown lighting

📷 Quick Tips for Augusta

🎯 Use a tripod for bracketing and reflections over water, which helps during blue hour and for smooth water effects.
📷 Shoot RAW and bracket your exposure because the Moon is much brighter than the foreground.
📏 Start with Looney 11 — set f/11, ISO 100, 1/100s — and then adjust your exposure using the histogram as a starting point.
🌕 Use a 200–400mm lens to isolate the Moon over distant foregrounds like river bends and canal locks.
🌃 Focus using magnified live view to get sharp crater detail.
🌧 Check cloud, haze and wind before you go, and bring bug spray for evening viewing near swamp and river.

🕐 Timezone
Eastern Time – EST UTC-5, EDT UTC-4 during daylight-saving. America/New_York.

📍 Geography Note
Augusta is located about halfway up the Savannah River on the fall line, which creates small falls on the river. The city marks the end of a navigable waterway for the river and the entry to the Georgia Piedmont area, where the Piedmont Plateau meets the Coastal Plain.

For viewing, the downtown Riverwalk and Augusta Common provide open riverfront and plaza horizons, while Phinizy Swamp Nature Park and the Savannah Rapids area provide natural waterfront settings and canal and river views.

The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina. General rule for many city parks is open during daylight hours and closing at dusk or in the evening except for pre-approved events. For evening moon photography, check park closing times carefully and use locations where nighttime access is explicitly permitted for late-night observing. For moonrise direction, check azimuth for your particular date — it varies throughout the lunar month.

Use downtown Riverwalk for open river horizons and swamp and canal parks for natural waterfront settings. The moon phase today in Augusta, Georgia is shown above. For moon phase today anywhere else, visit the calculator on our home page.

◐ What It Feels Like

At Riverwalk Augusta, lower and upper levels run along the levee with river views, monuments and museum lights for twilight.

At Phinizy Swamp, boardwalks and observation platforms overlook cypress wetlands with herons, otters and alligators in their natural setting.

At Savannah Rapids, the head of the Augusta Canal provides open river and canal views with historic mills and shaded canopies.

"On the Savannah River at the Fall Line where Piedmont meets Coastal Plain, with downtown Riverwalk for river horizons and swamp and canal parks for natural waterfront settings."

✓ Checklist for Lunar Observers

Before You Go

  • Check Moonrise azimuth for your date — direction varies through the month, not always over the river
  • Check park hours — many city parks close at dusk or in the evening, with special events by approval only
  • Confirm current trail access and any levee or canal closures

What to Bring

  • Telephoto and wide lenses for river and canal compositions
  • Tripod for bracketing and reflections
  • Lens cloth for humidity
  • Bug spray for evening near swamp and river

On the Night

  • Check exact azimuth and elevation — varies nightly
  • Bracket for lunar detail and riverfront lights during twilight window
  • Stay on marked trails, boardwalks and levee paths and respect posted closing times
Start with Riverwalk for open Savannah River horizons at twilight, move to Savannah Rapids and the canal trail for historic canal compositions, and use swamp nature parks for natural waterfront settings within posted daylight hours.

? Augusta Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Augusta?

The moon phase today in Augusta is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 26. Moonrise is at 6:31 AM and moonset at 6:28 PM.

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

Riverwalk Augusta, a city park on and alongside the levee in downtown, has lower and upper levels overlooking the Savannah River and gives the most open downtown horizon for moonrise and twilight. Savannah Rapids Park, where the Augusta Canal begins, and the Augusta Canal Trail, which runs from there to downtown, offer open river and canal horizons with shaded canopies and historic mills. Augusta Common gives open sky pockets in the city centre, and Pendleton King Park has natural clearings and pond reflections away from downtown lighting. Phinizy Swamp Nature Park, with its boardwalks and observation platforms over a cypress wetland, is better for daytime scouting than for evening viewing.

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

At about 33.5°N, Augusta's moonrise and moonset points swing across the horizon each month, from roughly east-northeast to east-southeast for rising and west-northwest to west-southwest for setting. A winter full moon culminates high in the south, at roughly 80° above the horizon, while a summer full moon stays lower, peaking near 33°. Downtown Augusta lies on the Georgia bank of the Savannah River, with North Augusta, South Carolina, directly across it, so from the Riverwalk the river and the far bank lie to the northeast and east, the direction of a rising moon. Because the moon's rising point shifts through the month, it will not always rise over the river, so check the azimuth for your date and exact spot.

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

The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Augusta, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Downtown, the Riverwalk and Augusta Common carry substantial artificial lighting, so central Augusta is a light-polluted site rather than a dark-sky one, best suited to moon-over-river and moon-over-city compositions. Pendleton King Park and the swamp park are more secluded and away from downtown lighting, but they keep daytime or early-evening hours, so they are not natural choices for a late dark-sky session.

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

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 riverfront lights and foreground, so shoot RAW and bracket or blend exposures to keep both crater detail and the lit levee and river. A waxing gibbous is useful for evening and twilight over the Savannah River, and a full moon rises around sunset. A 200–400 mm lens helps isolate the moon over distant foregrounds like river bends and canal locks, with a tripod for bracketing and reflections over water and manual focus on the moon using magnified live view.

Q. How do humidity, haze and insects affect moon viewing in Augusta?

Augusta lies where the Piedmont meets the Coastal Plain, and humidity and haze over the river can soften lunar contrast, particularly with a low moon. Humidity can also leave condensation on lenses, so carry a lens cloth. Check cloud, haze and wind forecasts before heading out, and bring bug spray for evening viewing near the river and the swamp.

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

Access varies by site, and many city parks open during daylight hours and close at dusk or in the evening, except for pre-approved events. Check the posted closing times for Riverwalk Augusta, Augusta Common and the Augusta Canal Trail before an evening visit, and note that Pendleton King Park closes in the evening. Many preserves, including Phinizy Swamp Nature Park, close at dusk, so check its current hours. Confirm current trail access and any levee or canal closures, stay on marked trails, boardwalks and levee paths, and respect posted closing times.

Q. Does this page work for cities besides Augusta?

This page is set up specifically for Augusta, Georgia. For the moon phase in any other city or location worldwide, use the Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator on the moonphase.today home page.