Moon Phase Today Manchester

Moon Phase Today Manchester: New Moon

On Friday, October 9, 2026, the moon in Manchester 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
5:50 AM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
5:39 PM

moon-over-Manchester, New Hampshire

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in Manchester, NH

Manchester sits in south-central New Hampshire along the Merrimack River, covering about 34.93 sq mi, with roughly 33.07 sq mi of land. Elevation runs from about 210 feet at river level to about 573 feet at Wellington Hill, so the best local viewpoints come from ponds, river corridors, a large lake, and an Oak Hill observatory tower rather than any mountain overlook. 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 Manchester locations that offer different ways to experience or photograph the moon.

1

Livingston Park & Dorrs Pond

A 131-acre park with a roughly 1-mile walking loop around 18-acre Dorrs Pond and more than 5,000 feet of shoreline, used for fishing, paddling, and seasonal ice skating. Open sunrise to sunset, with multiple shoreline viewpoints for moon-over-water compositions.

2

Stark Park

A 30-acre tract between River Road and the Merrimack River, once part of the Stark family farm, dedicated in 1893 and expanded in 1896. It includes a burial ground, a 1948 bronze equestrian statue, a gazebo, and walking trails. Check current hours before a late visit. Address: 550 River Rd.

3

Derryfield Park & Weston Observatory

A 76-acre park on Oak Hill with the historic Weston Observatory, a five-story granite tower 66 feet tall, built in 1896–1897 with funds from James A. Weston and listed on the National Register on May 28, 1975. It gives elevated views over Manchester and the Merrimack Valley. The tower is viewable from the outside but kept locked.

4

Massabesic Lake

A spring-fed lake covering more than 2,500 acres in Manchester and Auburn, east of the city, with broad eastern horizons well suited to a moonrise. It is a municipal drinking-water supply with posted watershed restrictions, so follow the posted rules at every access point.

5

Merrimack Riverfront: Arms Park & the Heritage Trail

Arms Park sits between the Merrimack River and Commercial Street with a riverside walk, and is part of the Heritage Trail connecting Stark Park, River Road, and Arms Park. Open views make it a good spot for moon-over-river compositions — check the azimuth for your date.

6

Piscataquog River Park

A 112-acre park bordering both banks of the Piscataquog River, with about two miles of multi-use trails, water access, and open areas. A quieter river corridor on the west side of the city.

◉ 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 useful for the evening around twilight
🌑 New Moon — dark skies for deep-sky observing, with locations away from downtown lighting preferable
🧭 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 pond and river bracketing
📷Shoot RAW and bracket to keep both crater detail and shoreline lights
📏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 or longer can isolate the moon over Dorrs Pond, the river, or the observatory tower
🌧️Check for cloud and haze. Ice on Dorrs Pond can reflect the moon in winter, but stay off it unless you are certain it is safe
🕐 Timezone

Manchester runs on Eastern Time — EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) 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 Manchester — a pond with more than 5,000 feet of shoreline, a granite observatory tower on Oak Hill, and a river corridor running through the city all sharing the same lunar glow.

The moon phase today in Manchester, New Hampshire 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 Livingston Park, a roughly one-mile loop around the 18-acre pond gives you changing angles over more than 5,000 feet of shoreline, so you can walk until the moon sits where you want it over the water.

At Stark Park, sweeping lawns between River Road and the Merrimack surround the old burial ground and the bronze statue, a quieter, more historic setting than the pond or the lake.

From Derryfield Park, the 66-foot granite tower on Oak Hill looks over the city and the Merrimack Valley. You can't go inside, but it makes a distinctive silhouette for a moon framed above the treeline.

"A one-mile loop around an 18-acre pond, 30 acres along the Merrimack dedicated in 1893, and a 66-foot granite tower on Oak Hill built in 1896–1897 — all within one small city."

✓ Your Manchester Moon Chase Checklist

Before You Go

  • Check the moonrise time and rise azimuth for your date — the pond, river, and lake all face different directions, and your viewpoint determines how much of the horizon is unobstructed
  • Verify Site Access: Livingston Park is open sunrise to sunset, Massabesic Lake has posted watershed rules, and the Weston Observatory tower is viewable only from the outside — check current hours at Derryfield Park and Stark Park before a late visit
  • Use PhotoPills or Stellarium to check whether the moon will align with a specific landmark on your date
  • Check the forecast for cloud and haze
  • 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 pond, river, and tower
  • A lens cloth for dew near the water
  • Warm layers for evenings near the water
  • 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 on clear evenings
  • Focus manually on the moon's surface detail using magnified live view — shoreline and park lighting can confuse autofocus at dusk
  • Bracket your exposures — one for the bright lunar disc, one for the darker pond, river, or treeline 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
  • Respect posted watershed rules and park hours, and plan to be back at your vehicle before your chosen venue's posted closing time
The moon over Manchester moves between very different stages — a pond loop, a river corridor, a historic tower, and a lake with wide eastern horizons. Use the tools on this page, pick your vantage point, and catch a Manchester moonrise for yourself.

? Manchester Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in Manchester, New Hampshire?

The moon phase today in Manchester is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 26. Moonrise is at 5:50 AM and moonset at 5:39 PM.

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

For an open eastern horizon, Massabesic Lake covers more than 2,500 acres east of the city in Manchester and Auburn and is well suited to a moonrise, though it is a municipal drinking-water supply with posted watershed restrictions. Livingston Park offers a roughly 1-mile loop around 18-acre Dorrs Pond with more than 5,000 feet of shoreline for moon-over-water compositions. Derryfield Park on Oak Hill has the 66-foot Weston Observatory tower and elevated views over the Merrimack Valley, Stark Park and Arms Park along the Merrimack River suit moon-over-river shots, and Piscataquog River Park is a quieter river corridor on the west side.

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

At about 43°N, Manchester'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 70° above the horizon, while a summer full moon stays lower, peaking near 24°. Elevation runs from about 210 feet at river level to about 573 feet at Wellington Hill, so there are no mountain overlooks, and the pond, river and lake all face different directions. Massabesic Lake offers broad eastern horizons for moonrise, while Derryfield Park's elevation gives wider views over the city. Check the azimuth for your date and exact viewpoint.

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

The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Manchester, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Lighting varies by location and time, and shoreline and park lighting can confuse autofocus at dusk, so focus manually on the moon's surface detail using magnified live view. Around a new moon, locations away from downtown lighting are preferable for dark skies, such as the quieter corridors on the edge of the city.

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

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. Shoot RAW and bracket or blend exposures to keep both crater detail and shoreline lights. A full moon generally rises near sunset, and a waxing gibbous moon is useful for the evening around twilight. A 200–400 mm lens or longer can isolate the moon over Dorrs Pond, the river or the observatory tower, and a sturdy tripod helps for pond and river bracketing. PhotoPills or Stellarium can check whether the moon will line up with a landmark on your date.

Q. How do cloud, haze, dew and winter ice affect moon viewing in Manchester?

Check the forecast for cloud and haze before heading out, and bring a lens cloth for dew near the water and warm layers for evenings by the pond, river or lake. Ice on Dorrs Pond can reflect the moon in winter, but stay off it unless you are certain it is safe. 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 Manchester's moon viewpoints after dark?

Access varies by site. Livingston Park is open sunrise to sunset, and Massabesic Lake has posted watershed rules that apply at every access point. The Weston Observatory tower at Derryfield Park is viewable from the outside but kept locked. Check current hours at Derryfield Park, Stark Park, Arms Park along the Heritage Trail and Piscataquog River Park before a late visit, since lighting varies by location and time. Respect posted watershed and park hours.