The winter solstice is the “shortest day” of the year, meaning the least amount of sunlight. The Sun reaches its most southern point in the sky (in the Northern Hemisphere) at local noon. After this date, the days start getting “longer,” i.e., the amount of daylight begins toincrease. Fiery, determined and courageous Aries energy has been present since the Sun entered Aries on 20th March and, even though he exits Aries four hours after the New Moon/Solar Eclipse and slides bombastically into earthy, fixed, Venus-ruled Taurus, he nevertheless still has influence. The fiery energy of Aries must co-exist with earthy Taurus throughout the approaching Lunar moonth, bringing sparks of energy to her mission to focus us on the quality of our lives, what we need and the health of the environment. Taurus is a fixed, Earth sign. She is the cow in the field, slowly and steadily digesting grass and enjoying the stillness of her environment. In effect, Aries energy can help galvanise our awareness of the importance of nurture, nature, family and our need for peace and balance. I love spring. It’s the world coming out of a hard winter where things are dormant and just surviving. Love the lambs in fields, baby birds and green tips on trees - everything is waking up and bursting with life. I have the joy of being born on the spring equinox. Full moon names often correspond to seasonal markers, so a Harvest Moon occurs at the end of the growing season, in September or October, and the Cold Moon occurs in frosty December. At least, that's how it works in the Northern Hemisphere. The moon can even create a "ring of fire" solar eclipse when it passes directly in front of the sun, but is at a point in its orbit that is too far from Earth to fully cover the sun's disk. This leaves a ring, or "annulus," around the moon to create what is called an annular solar eclipse.

Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon | Space Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon | Space

A week after the new moon, the moon is 90 degrees away from the sun in the sky and is half-illuminated from our point of view — what we call first quarter because it is about a quarter of the way around Earth. Space is provided to write daily appointments and to plan according to the Moon’s phase and planetary movement. Each month includes:Because the moon's orbit around the Earth is tilted, it does not line up with Earth's shadow every month and we do not have a lunar eclipse each month. Solar eclipses of 2023

Moon calendar 2023

What intentions can you make for the coming Lunar moonth that will reflect your respect, concern and compassion for others and for the Earth? You may have noticed that the first day of spring is on a different date than when you were younger. The dates actually shift over time. Why? There are several reasons, but the one that’s easy to understand is: the Sun doesn’t follow a humancalendar! Mercury, conjunct Uranus in Taurus and sextile Mars, brings increased energy for communication on all levels, outbreaks of rebellion against unfair practices – and a change in the quality of communications. Retrograde Mercury (next day) will refuse to let unfinished matters lie, quite prepared to ‘go over old ground’ and to slow life down, forcing a re-examination of duplicitous communications until he turns direct again! Solutions that focus on human movement and the distribution of wealth and essential commodities could become more innovative. The growing gap between rich and poor, the ‘haves and have nots’, rattles cages on both sides of the political abyss and hidden corruption becomes increasingly and undeniably ‘on show’. Selfishness is less easy to hide and the demand for transparency increases.

And sometimes — once in a blue moon— the moon is full twice in a month (or four times in a season, depending on which definition you prefer). On the autumnal equinox, day and night are each about 12 hours long (with the actual time of equal day and night, in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring a few days after the autumnal equinox). The Sun crosses the celestial equator going southward; it rises exactly due east and sets exactly duewest. This is a wonderful opportunity to make new beginnings. As we form our visions, intentions and wishes in preparation for the powerful, uncertain, and intense Lunar Month ahead, here are some suggestions: The astronomical start of a season is based on the position of the Earth in relation to the Sun. More specifically, the start of each season is marked by either a solstice (for winter and summer) or an equinox (for spring and autumn). A solstice is when the Sun reaches the most southerly or northerly point in the sky, while an equinox is when the Sun passes over Earth’s equator. Because of leap years, the dates of the equinoxes and solstices can shift by a day or two over time, causing the start dates of the seasons to shift, too.