Lunar Phases Study
The lunation cycle underpins a great deal of practical work, and the Lunar Phases study lists the phase dates with the supporting physical data alongside them. It generates an event each time the Moon reaches one of the eight phase angles to the Sun: 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270° and 315°.
Alongside the positions of the two bodies, each event carries the illumination percentage, the apparent diameter, the apparent magnitude, the Moon Type (such as Supermoon) and the Moon Name (such as Wolf Moon).
Create a Lunar Phases Study
To add a Lunar Phases study to the current workspace:
- Click Mundane Studies → Aspects on the menu bar.
- Click Lunar Phases in the Aspects submenu.
Alternatively, click the Aspect Studies drop-down button on the toolbar and select Lunar Phases from its flyout.
The new study appears at the bottom of the Studies list and is selected automatically, so its settings open immediately. It takes its name from the study type.
What This Study Finds
An event is generated whenever the Moon makes an aspect to the Sun at one of the eight phase angles: 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270° and 315°. The four quarters and the four intermediate points are therefore covered by a single study, and you choose which of them to include.
Because the two bodies are fixed, this study needs no body lists. In their place its settings carry a Moon Phase Types list, where you check each phase you want included. The rest of the settings column holds the Study Name, the ephemeris settings and the study date range.
Events Table Columns
The events table lists one row per phase. Several columns are hidden by default, as the table notes. Right-click any column header to show or hide a column, as described in Choose Events Table Columns. The coordinate columns follow the study's Reference Plane: their headers read Longitude and Latitude in the ecliptic plane, and Right Asc and Declination in the equatorial plane. The table below gives the ecliptic-plane headers.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Date Time | Date and time the phase perfects, in the application's long date and time format. Always the first column, and it cannot be moved. Visible by default. |
| Moon Longitude | The Moon's primary coordinate, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Moon Sign | The Moon's position as degrees, sign and minutes of the zodiac. Visible by default. |
| Moon Latitude | The Moon's secondary coordinate, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Moon Distance | The Moon's radial distance, in astronomical units (AU). Hidden by default. |
| Moon Speed | The Moon's speed, in degrees per day. Hidden by default. |
| Cycle Angle | The phase angle that was matched, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Phase | Lunar phase name. Visible by default. |
| Separation | Angular separation between the Moon and the Sun, in degrees. Visible by default. |
| Sun Longitude | The Sun's primary coordinate, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Sun Sign | The Sun's position as degrees, sign and minutes of the zodiac. Visible by default. |
| Sun Latitude | The Sun's secondary coordinate, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Sun Distance | The Sun's radial distance, in astronomical units (AU). Hidden by default. |
| Sun Speed | The Sun's speed, in degrees per day. Hidden by default. |
| Illum % | Percentage of the Moon's disc that is illuminated. Visible by default. |
| Apparent Diameter | The Moon's apparent diameter. Visible by default. |
| Apparent Magnitude | The Moon's apparent magnitude. Visible by default. |
| Moon Type | Descriptive name for the lunation, such as Supermoon. Visible by default. |
| Moon Name | Traditional name for the lunation, such as Wolf Moon. Visible by default. |
| Event Interval | Elapsed time since the previous event in the list. Hidden by default. |