Solar and lunar eclipses in astrology: what they are and how often they happen

Eclipses are among the most dramatic things you can see in the sky, and astrology has treated them as turning points for thousands of years. This guide explains what is happening physically, the different kinds of eclipse, how often they occur, how astrologers read them, and how to enjoy them safely. For exact dates and times in your time zone, see the moon calendar.

What an eclipse is

A solar eclipse happens at a new moon, when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun and covers all or part of the Sun’s disk. A lunar eclipse happens at a full moon, when the Earth sits between the Sun and Moon and its shadow falls on the Moon, which usually turns a deep copper-red.

If that happened every month, we would have an eclipse at every new and full moon. We do not, because the Moon’s orbit is tilted about five degrees to the plane of Earth’s orbit. Most months the Moon passes above or below the line from Earth to the Sun. An eclipse only occurs when a new or full moon lines up close to one of the two points where the Moon’s orbit crosses Earth’s orbital plane. Those points are the lunar nodes, and astrologers use them in charts as the North Node and South Node.

Types of eclipse

• Total solar eclipse: the Moon completely covers the Sun. The sky darkens, temperatures drop and the Sun’s corona appears. Totality lasts for at most about seven and a half minutes, and usually only two or three.
• Annular solar eclipse: the Moon is slightly too far away to cover the Sun, leaving a bright “ring of fire”.
• Partial solar eclipse: the Moon covers only part of the Sun.
• Total lunar eclipse: the entire Moon is in Earth’s darkest shadow and glows red. It is visible from anywhere on the night side of Earth, and is safe to watch.
• Partial and penumbral lunar eclipses: only part of the Moon is darkened, or it is only subtly dimmed.

How often they happen

• There are at least four eclipses every year, two solar and two lunar, and as many as seven.
• They come in eclipse seasons about every six months (roughly 173 days), each lasting about a month, because the nodes line up with the Sun twice a year.
• A total solar eclipse is visible from any given spot on Earth only about once every few centuries on average, which is why people travel to see them.
• Eclipses repeat in families called saros cycles, about 18 years and 11 days apart.

The lunar nodes and the eclipse axis

The nodes move slowly backwards through the zodiac, taking about 18.6 years to complete a full circle. That means they spend about 18 months in each pair of opposite signs. Eclipses during that stretch fall on the same axis, such as Taurus and Scorpio, so you often see a single theme (here, resources and security) recur across several eclipses over a year and a half before moving on.

The astrological reading

Astrologers treat an eclipse as an amplified new or full moon. A solar eclipse is read as a powerful new beginning, a change of direction or a doorway opening. A lunar eclipse is read as a culmination, a revelation or an ending. The effects are traditionally said to unfold over the following weeks and months, up to about six months until the next eclipse season, and to be strongest for people with a planet or angle in their chart near the degree of the eclipse.

People also look at which house of their chart the eclipse falls in to see what area of life is highlighted, such as relationships, work or home.

A grounded way to use them

There is no scientific evidence that eclipses change events on Earth. What they offer is a vivid, shared moment to pause. Many people use an eclipse season to ask what they want to begin and what they are ready to let go of, in the area of life highlighted by their chart. If big changes arrive around that time, that is a convenient story to make sense of them. It is not a reason to make or delay a major decision.

How to watch safely

• Never look at the Sun directly during a solar eclipse without certified eclipse glasses. Ordinary sunglasses are not safe.
• Lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
• To see a total solar eclipse you need to be within the narrow path of totality. In a partial phase, always use filters.
• Check local times for your location. Dates are usually given in UTC, and the eclipse may fall on the previous or next calendar day where you are.