View source for Minecraft:Moon

{{page image|Moon.png}}{{for}}
[[File:Moon Phases.gif|thumb|right|upright=1.35|The moon, showing its phases (viewed on the eastern sky)]]

The '''moon''' is a celestial body that appears in the night [[Minecraft:sky]] in the Overworld.

== Nighttime ==
{{main|Daylight cycle}}

[[Minecraft:Nighttime]] begins after the [[Minecraft:sun]] has fully set in the west and the moon has risen in the east. As time passes, the moon moves westward across the sky. Overall, [[Minecraft:nighttime]] lasts about 7 minutes (in real-time). [[Minecraft:Player]]s can track the moon's position in the sky using a [[Minecraft:clock]].

During the night, the moon illuminates the surface in the same manner as the [[Minecraft:sun]]; however, [[Minecraft:light]] levels fall to a minimum of four.
[[File:Moonlight Vibrant Visuals.png|thumb|Moonlight with Vibrant Visuals.]]
With [[Minecraft:Vibrant Visuals]], the moon is considered a directional light source, which can create pixelated shadows and bright reflections on [[Minecraft:water]] and smooth textures. A pixelated blue glow appears around the moon depending on the moon phase.

The moon is not visible during [[Minecraft:precipitation]], even in dry biomes {{in|je}}. Disabling "Beautiful Skies" {{in|be}} (Simple or Fancy [[Minecraft:graphics]]) completely hides the moon. The moon also disappears in ''Bedrock Edition'' during daytime, where it is still visible below the void in ''Java Edition''.

[[Minecraft:Grass block]]s and [[Minecraft:sapling]]s do not grow in moonlight, nor do they decay. To grow them at night requires the use of light sources such as [[Minecraft:torch]]es. On the other hand, [[Minecraft:crops]] can continue to grow with sufficient [[Minecraft:client light]], even if not lit up by torches.{{Only|short=1|Java}}

Nighttime can be skipped entirely using a [[Minecraft:bed]], provided there are no monsters nearby.

=== Stars ===
Together with the moon, the night sky also consists of [[Minecraft:star]]s. Stars appear as bright points, and the starfield rotates with the moon, rising in the east and descending in the west, as the night progresses.

== Phases ==
[[File:moon.png|thumb|right|The full moon phase]]

The moon is always opposite of the sun, but still goes through eight [[Wikipedia:Lunar phase|lunar phases]], and changes phase at the end of every sunrise. This allows the player to keep rough track of the passage of time, even after spending a few game days underground.

The phases of the moon are (in chronological order as they appear in-game, which are in the direction of real moon phases in the southern hemisphere except in {{BE}} where it's in reverse):

# {{EnvSprite|full-moon|scale=2}} Full Moon
# {{EnvSprite|waning-gibbous-moon|scale=2}} Waning Gibbous
# {{EnvSprite|last-quarter-moon|scale=2}} Third Quarter
# {{EnvSprite|waning-crescent-moon|scale=2}} Waning Crescent
# {{EnvSprite|new-moon|scale=2}} New Moon
# {{EnvSprite|waxing-crescent-moon|scale=2}} Waxing Crescent
# {{EnvSprite|first-quarter-moon|scale=2}} First Quarter
# {{EnvSprite|waxing-gibbous-moon|scale=2}} Waxing Gibbous

The pixels of the first quarter phase moon and waxing gibbous moon present a more rounded, organic shape than the corresponding waning phase moons that show a more squared-off appearance. It can help a player in timing a slime hunt in a swamp (see below).

There is no explicit [[Minecraft:command]] to change the moon's phase, but using {{cmd|time add 24000}} advances time by one day toward the next phase. To go back one phase, using {{cmd|time add 168000}} advances time by 7 days, which is one full lunar cycle minus one moon phase.

There is an equation to calculate the moon phase on any given day in Minecraft: <code>phase = (day mod 8) + 1</code>. The day can be found in the [[Minecraft:Debug screen|F3 screen]] {{in|java}}, or by enabling the "Show days played" [[Minecraft:Create_New_World#Advanced|world setting]] {{in|bedrock}}, and the phase matches to the list shown above.

=== Effects on mobs ===
{{see also|Difficulty#Moon phase|Difficulty#Regional difficulty}}
[[File:SlimesAtNight.png|thumb|right|250px|Slimes spawning in a swamp during the full moon (view of eastern sky; moon rising)]]

The phase of the moon has three subtle effects on mob spawning:

* The number of [[Minecraft:slime]]s that spawn in [[Minecraft:swamp]]s is proportional to the moon's fullness: They are most numerous during the full moon and none spawn during the new moon. (The moon's phase does not influence the normal spawning of slimes in designated chunks at [[Minecraft:altitude]]s below y=40.)
* The moon phase affects the [[Minecraft:regional difficulty]], increasing the chance that (1) [[Minecraft:skeleton]]s and [[Minecraft:zombie]]s have the ability to pick up items and spawn with weapons and armor, (2) their natural equipment is [[Minecraft:enchanted]], and (3) any equipment enchantments are higher. Regional difficulty also gives [[Minecraft:spider]]s a greater chance to spawn with random beneficial [[Minecraft:status effect]]s, including invisibility{{only|java}} in Hard [[Minecraft:difficulty]]. All of these effects combine with the world's difficulty, and higher difficulty levels increase the chance of mob buffs.
* Only during a full moon, black [[Minecraft:cat]]s have a 1/11 chance of spawning.

== History ==
=== ''Java Edition'' ===
{{HistoryTable
|{{HistoryLine|java indev}}
|{{HistoryLine||20100211-2327|Added day/night cycle with the addition of the sun and the moon.}}
|{{HistoryLine|java}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.0.0|dev=Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4|The moon now rises in the east instead of the north.<ref>{{tweet|notch|124414532847284224|Aaaand now the sun rises in the east. #breakallthesunrises|October 13, 2011}}</ref>
|Added eight lunar phases to the moon.
The moon was changed from being square to having a more rounded look to it.<ref>{{tweet|notch|124398932376817664|I'm making the moon and the sun round. I am very sorry.|October 13, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{tweet|notch|124459419072348160|It's because this:|October 13, 2011}}</ref>}}
|{{HistoryLine|||dev=Beta 1.9 Prerelease 6|Moon is reverted back to original square form and lunar phases converted to square form.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.3.1|dev=12w21a|Updated stars texture. They are now smaller and brighter.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.5|dev=13w02a|Previously, the moon graphics used to be in /terrain in the minecraft.jar. They are now contained in /environment.}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.21.6|dev=25w19a|Due to a bug, the moon is rendered incorrectly on some Qualcomm graphics.<ref name="moon">{{bug|MC-297748}}</ref>}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.21.7|dev=Release Candidate 1|The moon is now rendered correctly on some Qualcomm graphics.}}
}}

=== ''Bedrock Edition'' ===
{{HistoryTable
|{{HistoryLine|pocket alpha}}
|{{HistoryLine||v0.7.3|Added moon and stars.}}
|{{HistoryLine||v0.10.0|dev=build 1|The night sky is now dark blue instead of black.}}
|{{HistoryLine|pocket}}
|{{HistoryLine||1.1.0|dev=alpha 1.1.0.0|The sun, moon, and stars now rise in the east and set in the west. (Previously they rose in the north and set in the south.)}}
}}

=== Legacy Console Edition ===
{{HistoryTable
|{{HistoryLine|console}}
|{{HistoryLine||xbox=TU7|xbone=CU1|ps3=1.00|ps4=1.00|psvita=1.00|wiiu=Patch 1|switch=1.0.1|Added moon phases.}}
}}

== Issues ==
{{Issue list}}

== Trivia ==
* One ''Minecraft'' lunar cycle (from full moon to full moon) takes 2 hours and 40 minutes of playtime. This means there are approximately 9 lunar cycles in one real-world day (24 hours) of play.
* There is a patch of the full moon that is off color, being {{color|#606978}} instead of {{color|#60687A}}. This can be found 1 4×4 patch above the bottom right corner.

== Gallery ==
=== Screenshots ===
<gallery>
NewStars.png|The full moon and the stars in the night sky
ForestMoonRise.png|Moonrise in the forest
ForestNighttime.png|The moon shines through the trees of a dark forest.
CrescentMoonRise.png|A crescent moon rises over the hills.
MoonInCave.png|The moon peeks through the opening of a cave.
</gallery>

=== Mojang screenshots ===
<gallery>
File:201111102025 moon phases.png|The separate moon phases in ''Minecraft''.<ref>{{tweet|notch|131408724043628544|(also, @jeb_ )|November 1, 2011}}</ref> (viewed in the eastern sky; rising)
File:201110131706 moon phases.png|The separate moon phases in [[Minecraft:Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4]] and [[Minecraft:Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5]].
File:Round or Square.jpg|The old round and square sun and moon textures
File:Magenta Sheep reinforcements 2.jpg
File:Magenta Sheep reinforcements 3.jpg
</gallery>

=== In other media ===
<gallery>
File:Steve and wolves howling.jpeg
File:Alex and Efe lofi 1.jpeg|[[Minecraft:Alex]], [[Minecraft:Efe]], and a [[Minecraft:cat]] during a full moon.
File:Moon x Marketplace Pass.png|The moon in [[Minecraft:Minecraft x Marketplace Pass]]
File:Three Creeper Moon JINX.jpg
File:AMCM Real howl.png|The moon as it appears in {{AMCM}}
</gallery>
== See also ==
* [[Minecraft:Sun]]
* [[Minecraft:The Moon]] (April Fools' dimension)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Navigation ==
{{Navbox dimension effects}}
{{Navbox environment}}

[[Minecraft:cs:Měsíc]]
[[Minecraft:de:Mond]]
[[Minecraft:es:Luna]]
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[[Minecraft:ja:月]]
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[[Minecraft:lzh:月]]
[[Minecraft:nl:Maan]]
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