New Moon and Full Moon Dates

What new and full moons are

The Moon shines by reflected sunlight, and as it circles Earth we see more or less of its lit side. The new moon is the instant the Moon and Sun share the same ecliptic longitude; the full moon is the instant they are 180 degrees apart.

At the new moon, the Moon’s lit side faces away from us and it rises and sets with the Sun, so it is invisible; a thin evening crescent appears a day or two later. The full moon rises around sunset, stays up all night and looks round for a night or so either side of the exact moment.

New moons are about 29.5 days apart on average, the synodic month. Because the Moon’s orbit is elliptical, the real gap runs from about 29.3 to 29.8 days, and new to full takes from just under 14 days to over 15 and a half, so each phase has to be computed.

Which sign a new or full moon is in

A new moon is always in the Sun’s sign, since the two are lined up; a full moon falls in the opposite sign. While the Sun is in Aries, the new moon is in Aries and the full moon in Libra. The Sun spends about 30 days in each sign, slightly longer than a lunar month, so occasionally two new moons share a sign.

Some full moons have names of their own. The Harvest Moon is the one nearest the September equinox. A blue moon, in popular usage, is the second full moon in a calendar month. A supermoon is a full moon near the Moon’s closest approach, looking a little larger and brighter. A few new and full moons each year are also eclipses.

Reading the table, and why dates differ by a day

The table lists every new and full moon in order, with its moment and the Moon’s sign, in UTC to the minute, computed from the ephemeris as the instant the Sun and Moon align or oppose.

The same moment falls on different dates around the world: 1:00 UTC is still the previous evening in New York. Some calendars also mark the first visible crescent, or the night the Moon looks fullest. To convert, subtract four or five hours for New York, add zero or one for London, and add ten or eleven for Sydney.

How astrologers read the lunar cycle

Astrologers read the lunar month as a rhythm of seeding and harvest. The new moon stands for beginnings, a quiet point for deciding what to start. The full moon stands for culmination, when results show and it is easier to see what to keep and what to let go.

The sign colors the theme. A new moon in an earth sign is linked with practical steps, routines and money; in air, with learning and conversation; in water, with feelings and close relationships; in fire, with courage and fresh starts. A full moon spans two opposite signs and is read as a balance between them. Used this way, the phases are less causes than a regular cue to check in with yourself.

Setting new moon intentions

Writing intentions at the new moon is a popular ritual: you note what you want to begin, then revisit the list at the full moon. Common guidelines: write within a day or two after the exact new moon, avoid the void-of-course Moon, keep to ten items or fewer, write by hand, and use the present tense, such as “I go for a run three times a week.” Many people also match intentions to the new moon’s sign.

None of these rules is official. The value lies in the habit: once a month you put into words what you want, and two weeks later you check how it is going. Concrete intentions within your control make progress easier to see.

Finding new and full moons in your chart

Each new moon falls in one house of your birth chart, read as the area ready for a fresh start that month: the second for income, the sixth for habits and work routines, the tenth for career. Each full moon lights up two opposite houses at once, such as the fourth and tenth, home and career. A lunation within a few degrees of your Sun, Moon, rising sign or another natal planet may feel more noticeable.

Your chart also shows the phase you were born under. Tracking a few months of lunations by house, alongside your own life, is a simple way to build a personal reading of the cycle.