Updated: Oct 19. 2026
Phases of the Moon
The Moon and its phases have accompanied the Earth since its inception. It is also one of the first astronomical phenomena in the sky noticed by people. The changing of the the lunar phases was even used as a unit for time measurement. One lunar cycle (= when all the phases take place) lasts about 29.5 days which is close to one-twelfth of the year. The Moon phases can be divided in several groups (usually 4 or 8). The most important positions of the Moon, in terms of the horoscope, are definitely the Full Moon and the New Moon.
Full moons 2026/2027
| Oct 26. 2026 05:13 | Taurus 3°40 ' |
| Nov 24. 2026 15:55 | Gemini 2°46 ' |
| Dec 24. 2026 02:29 | Cancer 2°14 ' |
New moons 2026/2027
| Oct 10. 2026 17:50 | Libra 18°32 ' |
| Nov 9. 2026 08:02 | Scorpio 17°32 ' |
| Dec 9. 2026 01:52 | Sagittarius 16°59 ' |
Lunar calendar
The Moon has no light of its own. We only see the half that's lit by the Sun, and because the Moon changes position relative to the Sun as it orbits Earth, the slice of that lit half facing us keeps changing too. From one New Moon to the next takes 29.5 days on average, a period astronomers call the synodic month. Each phase happens at the same moment for the whole planet; only the time on the clock differs from one time zone to another.
Calendars and astrology use four main phases: the New Moon, the first quarter, the Full Moon and the last quarter. Between them come the in-between shapes, the thin crescent and the gibbous Moon, which is more than half lit but not yet round.
How to tell if the Moon is waxing or waning
In the northern hemisphere there's an easy rule of thumb: over a month, the Moon spells DOC. When the lit part looks like a D, bright on the right, the Moon is waxing. O is the Full Moon. When it looks like a C, lit on the left, it's waning. The time of day helps too. You'll see a waxing Moon mostly in the afternoon and evening, a waning one in the second half of the night and in the morning, often well after sunrise. In the southern hemisphere, in Australia or Brazil for example, the picture is flipped and the crescent faces the other way.
New Moon
At New Moon, the Moon sits between Earth and the Sun and turns its unlit side toward us. You won't find it in the sky, because it's lost in the Sun's glare. A day or two later a thin crescent appears low on the horizon after sunset, and sometimes you can make out the rest of the disk as well, faintly lit by sunlight bouncing off Earth. This is called earthshine. If the Moon passes exactly in front of the Sun at New Moon, the result is a solar eclipse.
Astrologically, the Sun and Moon share the same sign at New Moon, and a new cycle begins. It's the time to set an intention: write down what you want to get going over the next four weeks, send in that application, start a notebook for a new project. People tend to be more inward than talkative in these days. That's fine. A beginning doesn't need a fanfare. The date of the next one is in our list of New Moons.
The sign of the New Moon matters. It sets the theme the whole month keeps coming back to. A New Moon in Taurus favors money, the garden and things that are meant to last; one in Gemini favors conversations, trips and learning; one in Libra, contracts and relationships. If you know your sign and your Ascendant, you can choose what to put your weight behind in each cycle.
First quarter
About a week after the New Moon, exactly half the disk is lit, the right half in the northern hemisphere. The Moon rises around noon, stands highest at sunset and sets around midnight. The name is confusing: you see half the Moon, not a quarter. The quarter refers to the cycle: the Moon has covered a quarter of its way round.
The Sun and Moon now form a right angle, which astrologers call a square and read as tension. The plan from the New Moon runs into its first obstacle, be it the budget, the weather or somebody else's opinion. That makes this a phase for decisions and practical steps. Whatever has lived only in your head now needs hands: make the call, place the order, start building.
Full Moon
At Full Moon, Earth stands between the Sun and the Moon, and the Moon shows us its entire lit half. It rises at sunset, shines all night and sets around dawn. When the three bodies line up exactly, the Moon passes into Earth's shadow and there's a lunar eclipse. So eclipses only ever fall at a Full Moon or a New Moon. They don't happen every month, though, because the Moon's orbit is tilted about five degrees to the plane of Earth's orbit, and most of the time the shadow misses.
In astrology the Full Moon sits in the sign opposite the Sun, so it takes the shape of a polarity: work against home, me against us. Things come to light and feelings get louder. It's a time for harvest and completion, for celebrations and honest conversations, and for seeing what no longer works. If you sleep worse around the Full Moon, there's no need to hunt for mysterious causes; on a bright night there's simply more light in the bedroom. Dates and signs are listed in our overview of Full Moons.
Last quarter
Roughly a week after the Full Moon, half the disk is lit again, this time the left half. The Moon rises around midnight and is easiest to spot in the morning, when it hangs high above the southern horizon even after sunrise. Then it thins to a crescent and, just before the next New Moon, disappears in the glow of the rising Sun.
The Sun and Moon form a right angle again, this time in the waning part of the cycle. Astrology sees this phase as a time for review and clearing out: finish what you've started, deal with the mail, sort through a closet or close a chapter that has dragged on. Folk tradition ties the waning Moon to taking away, so gardeners weed, prune and harvest the crops they mean to store. Big new ventures traditionally wait for the next New Moon.
The Moon and the tides
The most visible effect the Moon has on Earth is the tide. Under its pull the sea rises and falls, usually twice a day, and the biggest gap between high and low water comes around the New Moon and Full Moon, when the pull of the Moon and the Sun adds up. At the first and last quarter they partly cancel each other out and the tides are weaker. If you spend time by the sea, you can tell the phase of the Moon from how far the water reaches up the beach.
How to read the lunar calendar
For every day, our lunar calendar shows the Moon's phase and the sign it's passing through. The sign changes every two to two and a half days, so the two layers together give a richer picture: a waxing Moon in Taurus has a different mood from a waxing Moon in Sagittarius. Try keeping notes for a month or two on how you sleep, when you feel like starting things and when you'd rather tidy up. A few cycles in, you'll know whether the lunar rhythm works for you and which phase is yours.