Moon Phase

Moon Phases! 

THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN RESIZED. CLICK TO VIEW THE FULL SIZE IMAGE.

I always see people ask if the moon is going "up or down" ("up" meaning to Full Moon, or "down" meaning to New Moon) so i will write a simple guide that could help you. In this guide, I will share with you what moon phases are and how to use the moon phase icon. 

Basics 
skip this part if you already know the basics xD 

Moon phases are periods of time when certain content is available in game. A few examples: 

[*]Shops & NPCs sell different items during certain moon phases. 
[*]Spawns such as Nyarlathotep, Dominion, Dai, etc only spawn during certain moon phases. 
[*]Synth success rate is increased during full moon. 
[*]Certain equips add bonuses during certain moon phases. 
[*]Mob spawns are more frequent or more aggressive during certain moon phases 

The moon cycle goes "up" from New Moon, to 1/8, 2/8, 3/8, Half-moon, 5/8, 6/8, 7/8, Full-moon; then down back to 7/8, 6/8, 5/8, Half-moon, 3/8, 2/8, 1/8, then back to New moon. 

The moon phases change twice per in-game day at 0000/2400 and 1200, which is roughly 24 real-time mins per moon phase since each in-game min is about 2 real-time seconds (its not exactly 2 seconds but really close. Try calculating it over a few hours, it won't simplify to 1 min = 2 sec) 

When people ask if the moon is going up or down, they are asking if the moon is going towards Full moon or New moon. For example, if the moon phase is 3/8 you don't know if its going down to 2/8 or up to half-moon without understanding the moon-phase icon or simply remembering what the moon phase was before it. 

Moon-Phase icon 
If you're still asking which way is the moon phase going, you need to read this. No lie. 

What some people do not realize is that the answer to the "up or down" issue is right there next to your radar and under the moon phase. I see a lot of people ignoring this icon and it is about time people should learn how to use it. 

The moon-phase icon is a circle that represents the moon that is shaded in according to moon phase. The rule of thumb is that the interface between the shaded in area and the non-shaded in area always goes UP. ALWAYS. It NEVER goes down. Note in the image above that the interface always moves from left to right. It is the same concept. 

This means if the shaded in area is under the non-shaded area (and since the interface is moving up) then the moon is getting "fuller". If the shaded in area is above the non-shaded in area, then the moon is getting less "fuller." (In real terms, the moon would be completely in shadow and be barely noticeable, if at all) 

This simple diagram I made in 2 mins should clear things up. Please note the red arrow and the fact that it's direction is always UP. For simplicity, the time dimension follows the black arrow path in the clockwise direction. 

THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN RESIZED. CLICK TO VIEW THE FULL SIZE IMAGE.

This is pretty much the basics of reading the moon phase and knowing how to read the moon-phase icon. I hope this clears things up and lowers the number of times someone asks "is the moon going up or down?" - I still see lvl 90+ vets asking this simple question. Knowing this info will save you the trouble of asking and help you plan out instances instead of waiting all day.