October brought a new lunar cycle, and the complete calendar of moon phases for this month has been released. The information provided was supplied by the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet).
In October 2026, the lunar cycle begins with the Waning Moon phase on the 3rd at 10:26 AM Brasília time. Subsequently, the New Moon will occur on the 10th at 12:50 PM. The Waxing Moon will appear on the 18th at 1:13 PM, and the cycle will conclude with the Full Moon on the 26th at 1:13 AM.
The lunar cycle, also known as lunation or synodic month, spans approximately 29.5 days, which is the time required for the Moon to complete one orbit around the Earth, passing through all its phases. This phenomenon is determined by the relative positions of the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon, which defines the amount of sunlight reflected and visible from our planet.
The cycle begins with the New Moon, a moment when the side illuminated by the Sun faces the hidden side of the Moon, making it almost imperceptible in the night sky. As the Moon orbits the Earth, the portion facing the planet gradually gains illumination, evolving into the Waxing Moon, which culminates in the beginning of the Full Moon, when its entire visible face is completely illuminated.
After reaching the Full Moon, the process reverses: the illuminated area begins to decrease, passing through the Waning Moon until returning to the New Moon state, thus restarting the cycle. In addition to these main phases, there are so-called 'interphases,' such as the waxing quarter and gibbous crescent (located between the new and full phases), and the waning gibbous and waning quarter (located between the full and waning phases).