Instrument 12 — The Moon page
Tonight's Moon,
computed.
No stock calendar, no "tonight's moon" written last week. This page reads the real lunar orbit — the same mathematics planetariums use — and refreshes itself while you watch. The Moon is the fastest clock in the sky; here is what it says right now.
● The Moon right now
Waning Gibbous
70% illuminated · elongation 246°
- Moon's sign now 14.6° Gemini
- Next new moon 2026-10-10
- Next full moon 2026-10-26
The machinery
A phase is an angle, not a light switch.
The Moon makes no light of its own — what changes nightly is the viewing geometry. The phase is the angle between Moon and Sun as seen from Earth (the elongation): at 0° the Moon sits between us and the Sun and its lit face turns away (new moon); at 180° it stands opposite and shows its full lit disc. Everything between is the graceful dial you see above, computed from the ELP2000 lunar theory to a fraction of a degree. That is why this page can promise precision where magazine calendars round to the night: the angle is continuous, and so is this page.
The tempo
The Moon keeps the zodiac's fastest time.
Thirteen degrees a day; a full lap of the zodiac in twenty-seven days; a new sign every second sunrise. The Moon is why daily astrology exists at all — it is the one body whose position genuinely changes between your morning coffee and your evening one. Right now it moves through Gemini, colouring the day with that sign's temperament, and by the weekend it will have moved two signs on. Watch the sign line above: it is the quickest way to feel the sky actually turning.
● Keep reading the sky
Moon questions,
computed answers.
What is the Moon phase tonight?
Tonight the Moon is a waning gibbous — about 70% illuminated, an elongation of 246° from the Sun. The numbers on this page are computed from the real lunar orbit (ELP2000) and refresh in your browser every few minutes, so what you see is the Moon as it is right now, not a nightly roundup.
What sign is the Moon in today?
The Moon is currently in Gemini, at 14.6° of the sign. The Moon changes sign every two to two and a half days — the fastest clock in the zodiac — which is why daily horoscopes track it so closely.
How long does each Moon phase last?
The full cycle — new moon back to new moon — takes 29.5 days (the synodic month). Each named phase is really a moment, not a stretch: the Moon is exactly new or exactly full for an instant, and the common names describe the days around those instants. A phase like the one above lasts two to three days.
Why does the full moon look different sizes?
Two reasons. The Moon's orbit is elliptical, so a full moon near perigee (a "supermoon") can look about 14% larger than one near apogee — a real geometric effect. And the "moon illusion" near the horizon is psychological: the Moon is no bigger there, your brain just reads it that way. The percentages on this page are the true illuminated fraction.
What does the Moon phase mean in astrology?
Astrology reads the Sun-Moon angle as a tempo. New moons are beginnings — seed-planting, intention-setting. First quarters are friction and decisions. Full moons are culminations, the time when whatever was seeded two weeks ago shows its harvest. Waning moons favour release and closure. The phase above is the sky's own calendar page for today.
Read the Moon
in your chart.
Tonight's Moon is weather; your natal Moon is climate. Cast the chart and see which phase you were born under.