Lunar Return Calculator
Your lunar return is the moment, about every 27 days, when the Moon comes back to the exact degree it held at your birth. Enter your birth details and where you are to list your next lunar returns and see the chart for any of them.
What a lunar return is
The Moon goes around the zodiac in about 27.3 days (the tropical month). Each time it reaches the degree of your natal Moon, astrologers cast a chart for that instant and read it as the emotional tone of the month ahead, until the next return. It is the monthly counterpart of the solar return, and the same caution applies: it is a symbolic way to reflect on the month, not a forecast of events.
A lunar return is not the same as a full or new Moon, and not the same as the Moon's phase: those depend on where the Moon is relative to the Sun. Your lunar return depends only on where the Moon was at your birth.
How the calculator finds it
The calculator computes your natal Moon's exact longitude, then steps forward through the month you choose and finds the instant the Moon reaches that longitude again, to within a minute or so of time. Because there are 27.3 days between returns, a calendar year holds 13 returns, sometimes 14.
Example: if your natal Moon is at 8 degrees Virgo and the Moon reaches 8 degrees Virgo at 03:10 UT on a given day, the chart is cast for 03:10 UT at your chosen location. The next return comes about 27 days and some hours later; the exact gap varies by several hours from month to month because the Moon speeds up and slows down along its elliptical orbit.
Location and birth time matter
As with solar returns, the planets in the chart are the same everywhere, but the Ascendant and houses depend on where you are at the moment of the return. Most astrologers use your current location.
The Moon moves about half a degree an hour, so your birth time sets the return time directly: a birth time off by an hour shifts every return by about an hour too, which moves the return Ascendant by roughly half a sign. If your birth time is uncertain, read the planets in the return chart and treat the houses as approximate.
How astrologers read a lunar return
- The house of the return Moon: the area of life where feelings and attention gather this month.
- The return Ascendant: the month's general mood.
- Aspects to the return Moon: supportive or challenging emotional themes.
Many people simply note the date of each return and journal around it. The tarot journal keeps notes on your own device, and a one card reading on your return day is a simple monthly ritual. Your natal Moon itself is explained on the moon sign calculator.
Questions
What is a lunar return?
The moment the Moon returns to the exact zodiac degree it held at your birth, about every 27.3 days. A chart for that moment is read as the emotional theme of the month ahead.
How often does a lunar return happen?
About every 27 days and 8 hours, so 13 times in most calendar years and occasionally 14.
Is a lunar return the same as a full moon?
No. A full Moon is about the Moon's angle to the Sun. Your lunar return is about the Moon reaching your natal Moon's degree, which can happen at any phase.
Which location should I use for my lunar return?
Most astrologers use where you are at the moment of the return. Only the Ascendant and houses change with location.
Do I need my exact birth time?
It helps a lot. The Moon moves about half a degree an hour, so the birth time sets the return time and the return chart's houses.
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