Lunation Calendar — Rare Events Legend
Significant moments in the sky and calendar, pinpointed in time.
This page identifies each kind of Rare Event and decodes the information in its label.
Moon
Lunar Perigee or Apogee
Marks the nearest or farthest point in the Moon’s orbit around Earth.
Lunar Node Crossing
Marks where the Moon passes through the ecliptic, the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. When the Moon crosses from south to north, the crossing is ascending ☊; when it crosses from north to south, the crossing is descending ☋.
Orbit Diagram deep dive Eclipses deep dive
Lunistice
Marks a northern or southern extreme of the Moon’s declination: its angular position north or south of the celestial equator.
Earth-Sun
Solstice
Marks when the Sun reaches its northernmost or southernmost position relative to the celestial equator.
Equinox
Marks when the Sun crosses the celestial equator.
Sun Ingress
Marks when the Sun enters a new tropical zodiac sign sign. When the ingress begins a tropical season, a season symbol season appears: spring ❀, summer ☼, fall 🍂︎, or winter ❄︎. The superscript ⁿ corresponds to the same transition in the Astrological Table. Like other astrological Rare Events, its label appears in lilac.
Solar Year deep dive Astrology deep dive
Earth Perihelion or Aphelion
Marks the nearest or farthest point in Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
Planets
Planetary Ingress
Marks when a planet planet enters a tropical zodiac sign sign. The superscript ⁿ corresponds to the same transition in the Astrological Table. Like other astrological Rare Events, its label appears in lilac.
Planetary Station
Marks when a planet planet changes its apparent direction of motion in a zodiac sign sign. When its motion turns backward, the station is retrograde s℞; when forward motion resumes, the station is direct sD. The superscript ⁿ corresponds to the same transition in the Astrological Table. Like other astrological Rare Events, its label appears in lilac.
Alignments
Solar Eclipse
Marks when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and covers part or all of the Sun’s apparent disk. At the eclipse’s maximum somewhere on Earth, its type type describes how the Moon covers the Sun’s disk. When the Moon completely covers the Sun, the eclipse is total TOT. If a rim of the Sun remains visible, it is annular ANN. If the disks overlap only partly, the eclipse is partial, and type gives the percentage of the Sun’s disk covered. Visibility from the chart location visibility is ⏿ when the eclipse can be seen there and ⊘ when it cannot. Solar Eclipse labels appear in gold and Lunar Eclipse labels in blue, reinforcing the Sun and Moon symbols that distinguish them.
When the eclipse is visible from the chart location, an interval marker in the Gregorian Date Band spans its locally visible partial phase. The Rare Event marks the eclipse’s maximum somewhere on Earth.
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Lunar Eclipse
Marks when the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow. At the eclipse’s maximum, its type type describes how the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow. When the Moon passes only through the faint outer shadow, the eclipse is penumbral PEN. When the Moon passes completely into the dark inner shadow, it is total TOT. When only part of the Moon enters the inner shadow, the eclipse is partial, and type gives its umbral magnitude: the percentage of the Moon’s diameter immersed in it. Visibility from the chart location visibility is ⏿ when the Moon is above the horizon during the eclipse and ⊘ when it is not. Solar Eclipse labels appear in gold and Lunar Eclipse labels in blue, reinforcing the Sun and Moon symbols that distinguish them.
When an umbral eclipse is visible from the chart location, an interval marker in the Gregorian Date Band spans the visible umbral phase. The Rare Event marks the eclipse’s maximum.
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Close Moon–Planet Conjunction
Marks the moment the Moon and a planet planet have the same apparent ecliptic longitude. The Lunation Chart adds a Rare Event label when, as seen from the chart location, the bodies pass within 1° or the Moon occults the planet. The Year Chart labels only occultation events. The Rare Event still marks the conjunction; proximity proximity describes the nearby encounter from the chart location. When the disks do not overlap, it shows their closest angular separation, such as 0.7°, which may occur before or after the conjunction. When the Moon covers the planet, the encounter is an occultation OCC. Like other astrological Rare Events, its label appears in lilac.
For an occultation, an interval marker in the Gregorian Date Band spans first to last contact. For a close approach without an occultation, a circle marks the instant of closest approach instead. These markers can be offset from the conjunction marked by the Rare Event.
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Sun–Planet Conjunction
Marks the moment the Sun and a planet planet have the same apparent ecliptic longitude. The Lunation Chart labels every Sun–planet conjunction; the Year Chart labels only transit, occultation, and cazimi events. Proximity proximity usually shows their angular separation. When they are within 0.5° without overlapping, the calendar labels the event cazimi CAZ; astrological traditions use different limits for cazimi. When the disks overlap as seen from the chart location, Mercury or Venus crossing in front of the Sun is a transit TRAN; a planet passing behind the Sun is an occultation OCC. Like other astrological Rare Events, its label appears in lilac.
For a transit TRAN or occultation OCC, an interval marker in the Gregorian Date Band spans first to last apparent contact. Its label and leader mark maximum overlap rather than equal ecliptic longitude.
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Planet–Planet Conjunction
Marks the moment two planets have the same apparent ecliptic longitude. The inner planet orbits closer to the Sun than the outer planet. The Lunation Chart labels every planet–planet conjunction; the Year Chart labels only apparent disk overlaps. When the disks do not overlap, proximity proximity shows their angular separation. When their apparent disks overlap as seen from the chart location, the event is an occultation OCC. Like other astrological Rare Events, its label appears in lilac.
For an occultation OCC, an interval marker in the Gregorian Date Band spans first to last apparent contact. Its label and leader mark maximum overlap rather than equal ecliptic longitude.
Calendars
Daylight-Saving Time Transition
Marks a change to daylight-saving time at the chart location. When the local clock moves forward, the transition transition is Begins; when it moves back, it is Ends.
Wheel-of-the-Year Festival
Marks a festival festival: Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, or Samhain.
An interval marker in the Gregorian Date Band spans the observance from the local sunset before its solar-longitude moment to the following local sunset.