21 October 1805
Waning Crescent, 1% lit
Trafalgar
Trafalgar was fought at new moon, which mattered less for the battle than for the storm that followed it.
Nelson died in the afternoon; a gale blew up that night and ran for days, and most of the captured prizes the fleet had fought for were wrecked or scuttled in pitch darkness.
- Date
- 21 October 1805
- Moon computed for
- 12:00 local time, UTC−0:24The time of day is not recorded here, so noon stands in.
- Phase
- Waning Crescent
- Illuminated
- 1%
Source: National Maritime Museum