Timing and cycles
Synodic Cycle
Direct answer
Synodic Cycle is the cycle between repeated alignments of two bodies as seen from Earth.
At a glance
- Found in
- Transits & Cycles
- Related
- Birth Chart, Zodiac, Transit
Synodic Cycle means the cycle between repeated alignments of two bodies as seen from Earth.
The orbit map distinguishes physical bodies, calculated points, and symbolic cycles where possible.
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Why Synodic Cycle matters
Synodic Cycle matters because it gives planetary timing a relationship rhythm such as conjunction to conjunction.
A one-minute story
The Wandering Stars
How the moving planets were watched, named and found, and what a transit is.
Where readings of Synodic Cycle go wrong
A common error is to confuse synodic cycles with orbital periods.
Sources and editorial method
This entry summarizes the tradition in the Almanac's own words; where no source is listed, it is an editorial summary rather than a primary text, and symbolic readings are named as the tradition's, not as fact.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Transits & Cycles
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Track this timing window
Synodic Cycle in a book is one thing; Synodic Cycle in your own birth chart is your life. The Oracle casts your real chart and tells you what it means for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation, free.
Speak with the OracleThe Cosmic Codex reads a whole year of transits against your own chart, Synodic Cycle included where it touches your love, your work, your timing. Open the Cosmic Codex
Related terms
More in Transits & Cycles
- Transit Trigger
- Waxing Moon
- Direct Motion
- Jupiter Cycle
- Mansions of the Moon
- Outer Planet Transit
- Post-Shadow Period
- Saturn Cycle
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Common questions
What is a synodic cycle?
Synodic Cycle is the cycle between repeated alignments of two bodies as seen from Earth.
What does a synodic cycle look like in a birth chart?
Synodic Cycle gives planetary timing a relationship rhythm such as conjunction to conjunction.
What do people get wrong about a synodic cycle?
A common error is to confuse synodic cycles with orbital periods.
