On the Moon is waxing gibbous and growing: 74.1% of the disc is lit. It stands at 27°22′ Capricorn and moves 12.05° today.
| Phase | Waxing Gibbous |
|---|---|
| Illuminated | 74.1% |
| Elongation from the Sun | 118.83° |
| Sign and degree | 27°22′ Capricorn |
| Ecliptic longitude | 297.3643° |
| Daily motion | 12.0531° a day |
| Next New Moon | , in 19 days, at 17°22′ Libra |
| Next Full Moon | , in 5 days, at 3°37′ Aries |
The geometry of a phase
A phase is an angle. Measure the Moon’s longitude from the Sun’s, going forward through the zodiac: that is the elongation, 118.83° today. At 0° the Moon is new, at 90° it is at first quarter, at 180° full, at 270° at last quarter. The lit fraction follows from the angle alone, as (1 − cos elongation) ÷ 2, which is why the quarters are half lit and why the figure changes fastest around them.
The Moon gains about 12° on the Sun every day, so a full cycle from New Moon to New Moon takes 29.5 days, two days longer than its trip around the zodiac. Its own speed is not constant: near perigee it covers more than 15° a day, near apogee under 12°.
The Moon against your chart
The phase is the same for everyone. Where the Moon falls is not: the house it crosses and the natal planets it touches depend on your birth data. Because the Moon crosses an aspect within hours, the product names the orb and the phase of a lunar transit and does not name a date for it.
Method
Swiss Ephemeris with its data files, the speed flag on. Positions are geocentric and apparent, in the tropical zodiac, calculated for , one fixed moment, so the same date always gives the same numbers. The node is the true node and Lilith is the osculating lunar apogee. This is the same calculation the apps and the public API use; how closely it agrees with NASA’s JPL Horizons is in the accuracy report.
Questions
Is the phase the same everywhere on Earth?
Yes. The phase is the angle between the Sun and the Moon as seen from the Earth's centre, so it is one number for the whole planet at a given moment. What differs is the clock: a Full Moon at 02:00 UTC falls on the previous evening in the Americas.
Why is the lit fraction not half at the quarters in every source?
It is half when the Moon is 90° from the Sun, which is how this page names a quarter. Sources that use a different definition, or a different moment of the day, show a slightly different figure. This page calculates for 12:00 UTC.
Does the Moon phase decide what I should do today?
No. The phase is geometry. Astrology reads it symbolically, as a rhythm to reflect with, and nothing here is advice to act or wait. For what the Moon touches in your own chart you need your birth data.
How fast does the Moon move?
Between about 11.8° and 15.2° of longitude a day: fastest near perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, and slowest near apogee. It crosses a sign in roughly two and a half days and the whole zodiac in 27.3.
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