Moon phase · 6 of 8
The Waning Gibbous Moon
A waning gibbous moon is the phase between full moon and last quarter, when the Moon is still more than half lit but losing light each night.
The facts
The waning gibbous at a glance
| Order in the cycle | 6th of 8, after the full moon, before the last quarter |
| Illumination | 99 to 50 percent, decreasing nightly |
| Days after the new moon | Roughly day 15 to day 22 of the 29.5 day cycle |
| Rises and sets | Rises after sunset, sets after sunrise |
| Best viewing | Late night into morning; often visible in the morning daytime sky |
| Lit side | Left side in the Northern Hemisphere, right in the Southern |
| How long it lasts | About 7.4 days on average |
Timing figures follow the U.S. Naval Observatory and NASA. The four quarter moments are instants; the phases between them are spans of nights.
The science
What is a waning gibbous moon?
After full, the shadow starts working back across the disc from the same edge the light first arrived on. The Moon now rises after sunset, a little later each night, and stays up past dawn, which is why a bright gibbous moon hanging in the blue morning sky belongs to this phase. Nothing is being taken from the Moon; the viewing angle is closing, showing a little less of the day side each night.
The reading
What does a waning gibbous moon mean?
The waning gibbous is the exhale after the peak. In moon lore this phase belongs to gratitude and giving back: sharing what the cycle produced, teaching what it taught, saying thanks while the light is still generous. The push is over. What remains is distribution.
Your Primal Zodiac Animal is what we call your Zodi Animal, and each of the 144 gives back in its own way. Reveal your animal for the version keyed to your nature, or see which sign the Moon is in tonight.
Keeper stones
Your keeper stone in this phase
In the stone rooms, the waning gibbous belongs to the grounding stones. Smoky quartz is the one most often kept for gratitude and first release, by convention the stone that takes what you are ready to put down. If you keep one, carry it while you hand off, thank, and share out what the bright half of the month built.
The five elements
The waning gibbous among the elements
Chinese tradition maps the five elements to planets and seasons, not to moon phases, so we will not pretend otherwise. In the Zodi reading, ours alone, the waning gibbous keeps company with Earth, the element of harvest: the table full, the work shared, thanks given. Walk the element halls and see where your own animal stands.
Earth 土 tǔ · Wood 木 mù · Water 水 shuǐ · Fire 火 huǒ · Metal 金 jīn
Common questions
Questions about the waning gibbous
How long does a waning gibbous moon last?
About 7.4 days on average. The full moon and the last quarter are exact instants, so each in-between phase covers roughly a quarter of the 29.5 day lunar cycle, a night or two more or less depending on the Moon's elliptical orbit.
How can I tell waning gibbous from waxing gibbous?
Check the lit side. In the Northern Hemisphere a waning gibbous is lit on the left and belongs to the late night and morning. A waxing gibbous is lit on the right and stands in the evening sky. South of the equator, swap the sides.
What does it mean to be born under a waning gibbous moon?
In moon lore, people born under a waning gibbous are the teachers, generous with what they know and quick to share credit. Cross that with your birth date and you get something more specific: your Zodi Animal, one creature out of 144.
The cycle
Before and after
The waning gibbous follows the full moon and leads into the last quarter moon. All eight phases live on the moon phases page, in order, and tonight's sky is read on the Moon tonight.