Dictionary term
Synodic Month
Direct answer
Synodic Month: A Synodic Month is the mean interval between identical lunar phases, such as one new moon and the next.
A Synodic Month is the approximately 29.53-day lunar phase cycle.
A Synodic Month is the approximately 29.53-day lunar phase cycle.
A cycle or timeline schematic for comparing the named timekeeping concept.Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Synodic Month for phase recurrence, lunation numbering, lunar calendars, and spring-neap tide timing.
- Do not use it for
- Do not substitute 28 days for the synodic month or assume every lunation has the mean length.
- Reference category
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Related terms
- Draconic Year, Sidereal Month, Calendar, Julian Date
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The story behind Synodic Month
Month systems began from observed phase cycles long before the orbit was described mathematically.
Synodic Month in spiritual tradition
Spiritually, the synodic month offers a visible rhythm for reflection while remaining an orbital relationship.
Synodic Month: fact and faith, kept distinct
This is a factual calendar, astronomy, Earth-science, cultural-history, or observational reference. It can support wonder and practical planning without becoming a claim of fate, spiritual causation, or private revelation.
Synodic Month in numerology
Synodic Month is not a numerology claim. Any numbers attached to it should retain their ordinary scientific, calendrical, navigational, or historical meaning unless a separate symbolic interpretation is clearly labeled.
Why Synodic Month matters
It is the lunar period most directly connected with visible phases and the month lengths of lunar calendars.
Synodic Month at work: an example
A full moon recurs about 29.53 days after the previous full moon, though individual lunations vary.
Where interpretation stops
Synodic Month is presented as sourced astronomy, calendrical, Earth-science, cultural, or instrument-history reference. Definitions should distinguish measured phenomena from civil convention and historical interpretation, preserve location and time dependencies, and avoid turning factual sky data into a deterministic personal claim.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Astronomical Almanac Glossary - Reference definitions for astronomical periods, coordinates, dates, and time scales.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Also appears in
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-16
Track the phase-to-phase cycle
Synodic Month in a book is one thing; Synodic Month 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.
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More in Calendars & Timekeeping
- Week Number
- Barycentric Dynamical Time
- Common Era
- Dynamical Time
- Greenwich Sidereal Time
- Julian Century
- Lunisolar Calendar
- Reduced Julian Date
Common questions
What is Synodic Month?
A Synodic Month is the mean interval between identical lunar phases, such as one new moon and the next.
How is Synodic Month used in an almanac?
Use Synodic Month for phase recurrence, lunation numbering, lunar calendars, and spring-neap tide timing.
What should I avoid when interpreting Synodic Month?
Do not substitute 28 days for the synodic month or assume every lunation has the mean length.
