Lunar calendar 2026 and 2027

Complete guide: the lunar cycle, tides and myths

The lunar calendar is one of humanity's oldest tools. It measures time following the moon's synodic cycle (29.530588 days on average), during which our natural companion goes through all its phases: new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter. Each month is marked by at least one day of each main phase, plus dozens of intermediate phases.

The practical interest is huge. The moon drives tides through its gravitational pull: spring tides, the widest, coincide with new and full moon (syzygies). Neap tides, much smaller, occur at first and last quarter (quadratures). Fishermen, sailors and marine biologists follow the lunar calendar to optimise their activity.

Astrophotography is another field where the moon is a leading actor: as a target shot at full moon with a telephoto, and as an obstacle to avoid (bright sky) when shooting deep-sky objects. The 3-4 nights before and after new moon are the optimal periods for Milky Way, galaxy and nebula photography.

In popular culture, the lunar calendar intervenes in many cycles: biodynamic agriculture (planting and pruning by the moon), folklore (beliefs about sleep, childbirth or haircuts), religion (Jewish and Christian Easter set relative to the moon, like Ramadan in Islam) and mythology (Greek Selene, Roman Luna, Chinese Chang E).

Supermoons happen when full moon coincides with perigee (the moon's closest approach to Earth, ~360,000 km), appearing up to 14% larger and 30% brighter. Micromoons are the opposite: full moon at apogee (~405,000 km). 2026-2027 includes several supermoons highlighted in our monthly pages.

Eclipses depend on the precise geometry of Sun, Earth and Moon. When the new moon crosses the ecliptic plane there is a solar eclipse; when the full moon does, there is a lunar eclipse. In 2026-2027 two great total solar eclipses are visible from Spain: 12 August 2026 (Galicia, Asturias, Aragon, Mediterranean) and 2 August 2027 (Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla).