Moon Phase Today Burlington

Moon Phase Today Burlington: New Moon

On Friday, October 9, 2026, the moon in Burlington 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
5:57 AM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
5:45 PM

moon-over-burlington-vermont

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Burlington, VT

Burlington's whole visual identity faces west, toward Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains beyond it — which makes the city justifiably famous for sunsets, but means the moon generally rises somewhere along the eastern half of the horizon, often toward the city and Green Mountains rather than over the lake. The date and your observing location together determine the moon's rise time and direction; your viewpoint determines how much of that horizon is actually unobstructed. Here are six locations that offer different ways to experience or photograph the moon, whichever direction you're facing.

1

Battery Park

A 14-acre historic park on a high bluff at the western edge of downtown, with a promenade, a bandshell that hosts summer concerts, and monuments including an 1813 War of 1812 battle site. The panoramic view here faces the lake and Adirondacks to the west, so for a moonrise you'll generally be looking back toward downtown rather than out over the water. No specific gate hours were confirmed for this listing. Accessed via Battery, College, and Sherman Streets.

2

Waterfront Park

A large lakefront park west of downtown along the Lake Champlain shoreline, adjacent to the ECHO center and the Community Boathouse, with the Burlington Bike Path running along its eastern edge. Hosts major music and food festivals through the year. No specific gate hours were confirmed for this listing; paid parking is available at nearby waterfront lots. Accessed via College St, Lake St, and Penny Ln.

3

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain

A science and nature museum on the Burlington waterfront with aquariums, interactive exhibits, and its own view of the Adirondacks across the lake. Open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. — a daytime destination rather than an evening one, though the surrounding waterfront stays accessible after the museum closes. Address: 1 College St.

4

Church Street Marketplace

Burlington's pedestrian shopping and dining street in the heart of downtown, lined with historic building facades and busy well into the evening. Open public street rather than a gated park; individual restaurants and shops keep their own hours. Centered near Church St & Bank St.

5

Oakledge Park

A lakefront park in Burlington's South End with two public beaches — Blanchard Beach and Oakledge Cove — plus walking trails, an accessible treehouse, and recreational facilities. Parking is currently $3 per hour from May through October 31; check current City information for seasonal access and parking details. Address: Flynn Ave.

6

Overlook Park (South Burlington)

Technically in the separate municipality of South Burlington, not Burlington proper, but included here since it's one of the most-cited lake-and-mountain viewpoints in the metro area — a small, free 1.7-acre park with a wide view over Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Like the city's other lake-facing spots, this is a west-facing view, better suited to sunset than moonrise. Open dawn to dusk. Address: 1600 Spear St, South Burlington, VT.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography

🌕 Full Moon ±1 day — brightest phase, though not necessarily the most photogenic for every landmark shot
🌔 Days before full — the moon generally rises later each evening as full approaches, eventually rising around sunset at full moon, though the exact timing varies with the date and season
🧭 Landmark alignments — the moon generally rises somewhere along the eastern half of the horizon, but its exact rising azimuth shifts substantially with the date and your latitude, so check the exact date and viewpoint rather than assuming it will rise due east

📷 Quick Photography Tips

🎯Use a sturdy tripod — open lakefront and bluff spots like Battery Park can catch steady wind off Lake Champlain
📷Shoot RAW and expose for the moon — it's much brighter than the surrounding lake, park, or city landscape
📏Looney 11 rule — a useful starting point for a bright full moon: f/11, ISO 100, 1/100s, then check your histogram and adjust for phase, atmospheric conditions, and your equipment
🌕Low on the horizon, the moon can look strikingly large — that's the well-known "moon illusion," a perceptual effect rather than an actual change in angular size. A telephoto lens doesn't magnify the moon relative to the foreground on its own; shooting from farther away changes the angular size relationship between a distant foreground object and the moon, and a longer focal length just lets you frame that distant composition tightly
🌫️Check the forecast for lake-effect cloud and haze — Lake Champlain can generate its own localized weather, so conditions right at the shore don't always match the wider regional forecast
🕐 Timezone

Burlington runs on Eastern Time — EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) in summer, since Vermont observes daylight saving time. PhotoPills or Stellarium will handle the moon's exact rise azimuth for any of these spots automatically.

Enjoy the moon over Burlington — a historic bluff-top park, a pedestrian marketplace, and a lakefront beach all sharing the same lunar glow.

The moon phase today in Burlington 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

At Battery Park, evenings often draw people for the sunset first, with the lake and Adirondacks doing most of the visual work while the sky behind them changes color. A moon rising the opposite direction, over the city, can feel like an afterthought here — worth turning around for, but not the main event most visitors came for.

Down at Church Street Marketplace, the mood is entirely different — restaurant patios, street performers, and shoppers moving between storefronts well into the evening. A moon over the marketplace has to compete with string lights and building facades rather than open sky, a more urban framing than any of the park spots offer.

Out at Oakledge Park, the pace slows considerably as daylight fades, with the walking trails through the park's southern woods offering a genuinely quieter, more natural setting than the busier northern beach areas.

"At Battery Park, evenings often draw people for the sunset first, with the lake and Adirondacks doing most of the visual work — a moon rising the opposite direction, over the city, can feel like an afterthought here, worth turning around for but not the main event."

✓ Your Burlington Moon Chase Checklist

Before You Go

  • Check the moonrise time and rise azimuth for your date — the date and your observing location together determine the moon's rise time and direction, while your viewpoint determines how much of that horizon is unobstructed
  • Remember most of Burlington's famous viewpoints face west toward the lake — for an actual moonrise, you'll often be looking back toward the city rather than out over the water
  • Verify Site Access: ECHO closes at 5 p.m., and Overlook Park is open dawn to dusk — check current conditions before planning around either
  • Use PhotoPills or Stellarium to check whether the moon will align with a specific landmark on your date
  • Check the forecast for lake-effect cloud and haze near the shoreline
  • Confirm current rules on tripods and photography at your chosen park, especially for anything beyond personal use

What to Bring

  • A telephoto lens, often 200mm or longer, can help frame the moon tightly with a downtown building or park landmark
  • A warm layer — evenings by the lake run cooler than downtown, even in summer
  • A remote shutter release or a 2-second timer to avoid shake on tripod shots
  • Cash or a card for parking at Waterfront Park and Oakledge Park, since most other spots on this list are free
  • A small flashlight or headlamp can be useful if you're returning along Oakledge's trails around dusk, before the park's posted closing time

On the Night

  • As a general recommendation, arrive at your viewpoint at least 30–45 minutes early, especially at Battery Park and the Waterfront on clear evenings
  • Focus manually on the moon's edge — marketplace lighting and waterfront lamps can confuse autofocus at dusk
  • Bracket your exposures — one for the bright lunar disc, one for the darker lake, park, or city below
  • If the moon looks soft or hazy right at moonrise, consider waiting until it climbs higher above the horizon, when atmospheric effects are often less pronounced
  • Plan to be back at your vehicle before your chosen venue's posted closing time — don't count on staying past it
The moon over Burlington moves between two very different stages — the postcard lake-and-mountain views most visitors come for, and the quieter act of turning around to watch the moon climb over the city instead. Use the tools on this page, pick your vantage point, and catch a Burlington moonrise for yourself.

? Burlington Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Burlington, Vermont?

The moon phase today in Burlington is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 26. Moonrise is at 5:57 AM and moonset at 5:45 PM.

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

Most of Burlington's famous viewpoints face west toward Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks, so for a moonrise you will often be looking back toward the city rather than out over the water. Battery Park, a 14-acre park on a high bluff at the western edge of downtown, is the classic vantage point, and Waterfront Park along the lake shoreline gives open sightlines and a setting-moon view over the water. Oakledge Park in the South End has two public beaches and walking trails for a quieter, more natural evening. Church Street Marketplace suits a livelier, more urban moon-over-downtown scene, while Overlook Park in neighboring South Burlington has a wide west-facing lake view, better suited to sunset than moonrise.

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

At about 44.5°N, Burlington's moonrise and moonset points swing across the horizon each month, from roughly northeast to southeast for rising and northwest to southwest for setting. A winter full moon climbs high in the south, to roughly 69° above the horizon, while a summer full moon stays lower, peaking near 22°. The moon generally rises along the eastern half of the horizon, often over the city and toward the Green Mountains rather than over the lake, while a setting moon can drop toward Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks from lakefront spots. Check the azimuth for your date and exact viewpoint, since your location determines how much of the horizon is unobstructed.

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

The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Burlington, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Church Street Marketplace and the downtown waterfront carry substantial artificial lighting, from restaurant patios and string lights to waterfront lamps, which can also confuse autofocus at dusk. Oakledge Park and its southern trails offer a quieter setting away from the busiest parts of downtown.

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

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 surrounding lake, park or city landscape, so shoot RAW and bracket or blend exposures to keep both crater detail and the foreground. A full moon rises around sunset, and the days before full see it rise later each evening. A 200 mm or longer lens helps frame the moon tightly against a downtown building or park landmark, and a tripod with a remote release or 2-second timer avoids shake. Focus manually on the moon's edge, and use PhotoPills or Stellarium to check whether the moon will line up with a landmark on your date.

Q. How do lake-effect cloud, haze and wind affect moon viewing in Burlington?

Lake Champlain can generate its own localized weather, so cloud and haze right at the shore do not always match the wider regional forecast. Open lakefront and bluff spots like Battery Park can catch steady wind off the lake, so a sturdy tripod helps. Evenings by the water run cooler than downtown, even in summer, so bring a warm layer, and cold can drain camera batteries faster, so carry a spare. If the moon looks soft or hazy right at moonrise, wait until it climbs higher above the horizon, when atmospheric effects are often less pronounced.

Q. Can I visit Burlington's moon viewpoints after dark?

Access varies by site. ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., though the surrounding waterfront stays accessible after it closes. Overlook Park is open dawn to dusk, so it is not an evening option. Church Street Marketplace is an open public street, busy well into the evening, though individual restaurants and shops keep their own hours. Parking at Oakledge Park is $3 per hour from May through October 31, so check current City information for seasonal access and parking details, and confirm any posted closing times for Battery Park and Waterfront Park before an evening visit.