Moon Phase Today Fargo

Moon Phase Today Fargo: New Moon

On Friday, October 9, 2026, the moon in Fargo is a New Moon with 0% illumination. Moon age: 28.9 days.

Illumination
0%
Moon Age
28.9d
Next Full Moon
Oct 25
Distance
--
☽ Moonrise
6:38 AM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
6:18 PM

moon-over-fargo-north-dakota

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Fargo, ND

Fargo sits on the western bank of the Red River of the North in the Red River Valley, covering about 49.80 square miles of land area as of 2020, at around 900 feet above sea level on the extremely flat lakebed of glacial Lake Agassiz. With no hills to climb, the best local viewpoints come from the riverfront parks and trail corridors, where the plain gives level horizons wherever tree breaks allow. 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 Fargo-area locations that offer different ways to experience or photograph the moon.

1

Lindenwood Park

The largest multi-use park in Fargo, with five picnic shelters, a landscaped campground, bike and kayak rentals, restrooms, and two playgrounds including a fully adaptive playground. A pedestrian bridge connects it to Moorhead's Gooseberry Park. Check current posted hours before an evening visit. Address: 1905 Roger Maris Dr.

2

Island Park

A historic downtown park with an outdoor pool, tennis courts, picnic shelters, and green space for walking trails and photography. Check current posted hours before an evening visit. Address: 302 7th St S.

3

Orchard Glen Park

A park in south Fargo described by Fargo Parks as a natural setting along the Red River, with a community orchard, nature trails, and wildlife viewing — a popular backdrop for photographers year-round. Check current posted hours before an evening visit. Address: 7606 Forest River Rd S.

4

Oak Grove Park

A 36-acre park along the Red River with an 18-hole disc golf course winding through mature oaks, picnic shelters, paved trails, and a pedestrian bridge to Moorhead. Riverfront views and open sky pockets between the trees. Address: 170 Maple St N.

5

Lions Conservancy Park

A wooded nature park along the Red River with trails for birdwatching and nature walks, plus an amphitheater. It offers a natural setting away from some of the activity downtown. Check current posted hours before an evening visit. Address: 1221 El Cano Dr S.

6

Gooseberry Park & the Red River Greenway

Gooseberry Park in Moorhead connects to Lindenwood Park by the pedestrian bridge. The Red River Greenway and dike trail system provides continuous riverfront trails on both sides of the river, good for evening walks and moon photography where tree breaks allow.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography

🌕 Full Moon ±1 day — generally rises near sunset and sets near sunrise, though the exact azimuth depends on your spot
🌔 Days before full — a waxing gibbous moon is often useful for evening and twilight photography over the Red River
🌑 New Moon — favorable for dark skies, but Fargo itself has urban light pollution
🧭 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 for riverfront bracketing — the extremely flat plain provides level horizons where tree breaks allow
📷Shoot RAW and bracket — the moon is much brighter than the prairie foreground
📏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 make the moon physically larger or change its angular size relative to the foreground; instead, a long lens lets you tightly frame a distant moon and a distant foreground together, and moving farther from that foreground can make the moon appear larger relative to it in the resulting composition
🌾A 200–400mm lens can isolate the moon over the Red River and the prairie where sightlines allow
❄️Check wind, winter cold, and ice — wind chill and ice affect the river trails, and mosquitoes are active near the river in summer
🕐 Timezone

Fargo runs on Central Time — CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) in summer, following the standard U.S. daylight saving schedule. PhotoPills or Stellarium will handle the moon's exact rise azimuth for any of these spots automatically, as long as your device's clock is correct.

Enjoy the moon over Fargo — a riverfront park with a pedestrian bridge into Minnesota, mature oaks along the Red River, and one of the flattest horizons in the country all sharing the same lunar glow.

The moon phase today in Fargo, North Dakota 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 Lindenwood Park, the largest multi-use park in Fargo, the Red River runs alongside the campground and picnic shelters, and the pedestrian bridge to Moorhead's Gooseberry Park lets you cross the river on foot to change your angle on the moon.

At Oak Grove Park, mature oaks line the riverbank and the disc golf course, so the moon often rises through gaps in the branches rather than over a clean horizon — more atmospheric, if a little less open.

Orchard Glen Park and Lions Conservancy Park trade open sky for natural settings along the river, with orchard rows, nature trails, and wooded paths away from some of the downtown activity.

"The largest multi-use park in Fargo, a 36-acre riverfront park of mature oaks, and wooded nature trails along the Red River — all on one of the flattest plains in North America."

✓ Your Fargo 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 and the tree breaks along the river determine how much of that horizon is unobstructed
  • Verify Site Access: check current posted hours at the city parks before an evening visit, since evening access varies by park
  • Use PhotoPills or Stellarium to check whether the moon will align with a specific landmark on your date
  • Check the forecast for wind, winter cold, and ice on the river trails
  • Confirm current rules on tripods and photography at your chosen venue, especially for anything beyond personal use

What to Bring

  • A telephoto lens, often 200mm or longer, plus a wide lens for the river and prairie
  • Warm, wind-resistant layers outside of summer — wind chill is a real factor on the open plain
  • Bug spray for summer evenings near the river
  • A remote shutter release or a 2-second timer to avoid shake on tripod shots
  • Spare batteries, particularly for long sessions or extended time outdoors

On the Night

  • As a general recommendation, arrive at your viewpoint at least 30–45 minutes early, especially if you want to scout a gap in the trees
  • Focus manually on the moon's surface detail using magnified live view — urban lighting can confuse autofocus at dusk
  • Bracket your exposures — one for the bright lunar disc, one for the darker river and prairie 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
  • Mind ice on the river trails in winter, and respect posted park hours
The moon over Fargo moves between riverfront parks, wooded nature trails, and the long, flat horizon of the Red River Valley. Use the tools on this page, pick your vantage point, and catch a Fargo moonrise for yourself.

? Fargo Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Fargo, North Dakota?

The moon phase today in Fargo is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 25. Moonrise is at 6:38 AM and moonset at 6:18 PM.

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

Most of the best views are along the Red River. Lindenwood Park is the largest multi-use park in Fargo, with a pedestrian bridge to Moorhead's Gooseberry Park, and Oak Grove Park covers 36 acres along the river with mature oaks, paved trails and open sky pockets. Orchard Glen Park in south Fargo and Lions Conservancy Park offer natural, wooded settings away from some of the downtown activity, and Island Park is a historic downtown park with green space for walking and photography. The Red River Greenway and dike trail system gives continuous riverfront trails on both sides of the river where tree breaks allow.

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

At about 46.9°N, Fargo'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 67° above the horizon, while a summer full moon stays lower, peaking near 20°. Fargo sits at around 900 feet on the extremely flat lakebed of glacial Lake Agassiz, so horizons are level wherever tree breaks allow, and mature trees along the river corridor are the main obstruction. Check the azimuth for your date and exact viewpoint, and scout a gap in the trees.

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

The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Fargo, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. A new moon is favorable for dark skies, but Fargo itself has urban light pollution, and urban lighting can confuse autofocus at dusk, so focus manually on the moon's surface detail using magnified live view. The wooded nature parks along the river are away from some of the downtown activity.

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

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 prairie foreground, so shoot RAW and bracket to keep both crater detail and the river below. A full moon rises near sunset, and a waxing gibbous moon is often useful for evening and twilight photography over the Red River. A 200–400 mm lens can isolate the moon over the river and the prairie where sightlines allow, and a sturdy tripod helps for riverfront bracketing.

Q. How do wind, winter cold, ice and mosquitoes affect moon viewing in Fargo?

Check the forecast for wind, winter cold and ice, since wind chill is a real factor on the open plain and ice affects the river trails. Bring warm, wind-resistant layers outside of summer and spare batteries, since cold can drain them faster. In summer, mosquitoes are active near the river, so bring bug spray. 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 Fargo's moon viewpoints after dark?

Evening access varies by park, so check current posted hours at Lindenwood, Island Park, Orchard Glen and Lions Conservancy Park before an evening visit. The pedestrian bridges from Lindenwood and Oak Grove to Moorhead, and the Red River Greenway and dike trails on both sides of the river, make for evening walks where tree breaks allow. Mind ice on the river trails in winter, and respect posted park hours.