How we calculate
UmbraLux calculates every date and time on this page itself, with the astronomy library astronomy-engine – the same calculation the UmbraLux app uses for its charts. As usual in astrology, positions are measured in the tropical zodiac: the signs start at the vernal equinox and span 30° each.
New moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter are the moments when the Moon stands 0°, 90°, 180° or 270° east of the Sun, measured by the apparent positions of Sun and Moon – as the astronomical almanacs define them. The Moon changes sign when it crosses into the next zodiac sign, about every two and a half days.
An automated test compares our times for 2026 and 2027 with published values: all 99 moon phases lie within one minute of NASA JPL Horizons, and it checks them against the US Naval Observatory's tables too. The 24 moon sign changes it checks (one a month) lie within one minute of JPL Horizons.
How often is there a new moon?
On average the new moon returns every 29.5 days (a synodic month). Because the Moon's orbit is an ellipse, the gap varies: between the new moons of 2026 and 2027 there are 29.3 to 29.8 days.
So a calendar year holds twelve or thirteen new moons: 2026 has 12, 2027 has 13.
New moon, solar eclipse and astrology
At new moon the Moon stands between Earth and Sun and in the same zodiac sign as the Sun. Its lit side faces away from us, so it cannot be seen. When it lies exactly on the line to the Sun, there is a solar eclipse. Astrology reads the new moon as beginning and intention: what you want to start in a new cycle.
Questions about the new moon
When is the next new moon?
The next new moon is on Monday, November 9, 2026, at 07:02 UTC – in 27 days, in Scorpio.
How many new moons are there in a year?
2026 has 12, 2027 has 13. On average there is a new moon every 29.5 days.
Can you see the new moon?
No. At new moon the Moon's lit side faces away from the Earth, and it stands in the daytime sky close to the Sun. The first thin crescent usually appears one or two days later in the western evening sky.
When is there a solar eclipse?
Only at new moon, when the Moon passes right in front of the Sun. The solar eclipses of 2026 and 2027: February 17, 2026 (annular solar eclipse), August 12, 2026 (total solar eclipse), February 6, 2027 (annular solar eclipse), August 2, 2027 (total solar eclipse).
Is the time the same everywhere?
The new moon is a single moment, the same worldwide. Only the clock time depends on the time zone: here it is given in UTC.
By year
More calendars
Matching calculators
- Birth moon phaseNew moon, full moon or in between: the phase, the light and the age of the Moon at your birth.
- Moon signThe sign the Moon stood in when you were born.
- Birth chartChart wheel with planets, Placidus houses, Ascendant, MC and aspects.
- Sun signThe sign of the Sun at your birth, on the day it changes sign too.
Sources
- astronomy-engine (Don Cross) : the calculation library the UmbraLux app uses too
- NASA JPL Horizons : reference values of our test
- U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications : reference values of our test