An eclipse is a new or full moon that happens close to one of the lunar nodes, the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses Earth's path around the Sun. Solar eclipses are new moons, lunar eclipses are full moons, and they arrive in clusters roughly every six months rather than at random.
Solar and lunar eclipses are not two unrelated things
Both are ordinary moon phases that happen to line up. What makes them eclipses is where in the Moon's orbit they fall.
| Solar eclipse | Lunar eclipse | |
|---|---|---|
| Moon phase | New moon | Full moon |
| What lines up | Moon between Earth and Sun | Earth between Sun and Moon |
| What is hidden | The Sun, from part of Earth | The Moon, in Earth's shadow |
| Who can see it | A narrow track | Everyone on the night side |
| Read in astrology as | A beginning that arrives abruptly | A culmination or a release |
Why they are not monthly
There is a new moon and a full moon every month, but the Moon's orbit is tilted by about five degrees against Earth's orbital plane. Most months the alignment misses. Only when a new or full moon happens near a lunar node - one of the two crossing points - does the shadow actually land.
Eclipse seasons: why they come in pairs
Because the nodes sit in fixed places at any given time, eclipses cluster into eclipse seasons lasting a few weeks and recurring roughly every six months. A season almost always contains at least one solar and one lunar eclipse, a fortnight apart.
The pattern to expect
Two eclipse seasons a year is the norm, occasionally three. Within a season you will usually see a new-moon eclipse and a full-moon eclipse two weeks either side of it, falling in opposite signs - because a new moon and the following full moon always sit half a zodiac apart.
Why the signs shift over time
The nodes move slowly backwards through the zodiac, taking about 18.6 years to complete a circuit. That is why eclipses work through one pair of opposite signs for around eighteen months, then move to the next pair.
How astrology reads an eclipse
Traditionally an eclipse is read as a moon phase with the volume turned up: a new-moon eclipse as an abrupt beginning, a full-moon eclipse as a culmination or a clearing-out. What it is not is a prediction of an event.
Where it matters in your own chart
The useful question is which house the eclipse falls in for you, since that names the area of life. An eclipse in the Seventh House reads as partnership; the same eclipse in the Tenth reads as work and public role.
Read it as a season, not a date
Eclipse effects are conventionally read across weeks rather than on the day itself. Treating a single date as a deadline is the most common misuse of the idea.
What it cannot tell you
An eclipse does not cause events, and it does not affect everyone equally. It is a symbolic frame, the same way a retrograde is.
See where the Moon is now
Eclipses only happen at a new or full moon near a node. The tracker shows tonight's phase and how far through the cycle it is.
Eclipses: common questions
What is an eclipse in astrology?
It is a new or full moon that falls close to a lunar node, the points where the Moon's orbit crosses Earth's path around the Sun. Astrology reads it as a heightened version of that moon phase.
What is the difference between a solar and a lunar eclipse?
A solar eclipse is always a new moon, with the Moon between Earth and the Sun. A lunar eclipse is always a full moon, with Earth between the Sun and the Moon.
How often do eclipses happen?
They cluster into eclipse seasons roughly every six months, usually two seasons a year. Each season normally contains a solar and a lunar eclipse about two weeks apart.
Why do eclipses not happen every month?
The Moon's orbit is tilted about five degrees from Earth's orbital plane, so most new and full moons miss the alignment. Only those near a lunar node produce an eclipse.
Keep the interpretation in proportion
A birth chart is a symbolic map. Use it for reflection and conversation, and use qualified professionals for health, law, finances, or mental wellbeing.