Lunar Phases
The Lunar Phases study finds the dates of new moons, full moons, quarters, and the phases in between, along with rich data about the Moon at each phase.
Creating a Lunar Phases Study
To create a Lunar Phases study:
- Click Mundane Studies → Aspects → Lunar Phases on the menu bar.
The new study is added to the Studies list and opens with your workspace's default settings, ready to configure. You can also create it from the study-group dropdown button on the main toolbar.
Events Captured
This study records an event each time the Moon reaches a phase angle relative to the Sun. The phase angles are the eight multiples of 45 degrees: 0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and 315 degrees.
A Moon Phase Types checklist lets you choose which of the eight named phases to include:
- New Moon
- Waxing Crescent
- First Quarter
- Waxing Gibbous
- Full Moon
- Waning Gibbous
- Last Quarter
- Waning Crescent
Each event carries detailed lunar data, including the percent of the Moon's disc that is illuminated, its apparent diameter and magnitude, a Moon Type designation (for example, Supermoon), and a traditional Moon Name (for example, Wolf Moon).
Events Table Columns
The events table can display the following columns for this study. Many are hidden by default; to show or hide any column, right-click a column header (see Event Column Visibility). Column headers that name longitude or latitude are relabeled to right ascension and declination when the study's Reference System uses an equatorial reference plane.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Date Time | Date and time of the lunar phase event. |
| Moon Longitude | Ecliptic longitude of the Moon (relabeled "Moon Right Asc" in equatorial mode). |
| Moon Sign | Zodiac sign of the Moon. |
| Moon Latitude | Ecliptic latitude of the Moon (relabeled "Moon Declination" in equatorial mode). |
| Moon Distance | Distance of the Moon. |
| Moon Speed | Longitudinal speed of the Moon. |
| Cycle Angle | Cycle angle of the Moon relative to the Sun (0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, or 315). |
| Phase | Named lunar phase (e.g. New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon). |
| Separation | Angular separation (orb) from the exact phase angle. |
| Sun Longitude | Ecliptic longitude of the Sun (relabeled "Sun Right Asc" in equatorial mode). |
| Sun Sign | Zodiac sign of the Sun. |
| Sun Latitude | Ecliptic latitude of the Sun (relabeled "Sun Declination" in equatorial mode). |
| Sun Distance | Distance of the Sun. |
| Sun Speed | Longitudinal speed of the Sun. |
| Illum % | Percent of the Moon's disc illuminated. |
| Apparent Diameter | Apparent angular diameter of the Moon. |
| Apparent Magnitude | Apparent magnitude (brightness) of the Moon. |
| Moon Type | Moon type designation (e.g. Supermoon). |
| Moon Name | Traditional moon name (e.g. Wolf Moon). |
| Event Interval | Time interval since the previous event. |