New Moon
Notable Lunar Events
next 90 daysBuck Moon
Named for the new antlers that emerge from the foreheads of buck deer this time of year.
Peak heat and humidity arrive; shift training to early morning or evening, monitor hydration and electrolyte balance, and watch for anhidrosis in the South.
Sturgeon Moon
Named for the great sturgeon runs that filled the Great Lakes and Northeast rivers in late summer.
Heat stress remains a concern, and afternoon thunderstorms become daily — plan rides around the radar, and verify lightning-safe shelter for all turnout fields.
Harvest Moon
The full moon nearest the autumnal equinox — rises shortly after sunset for several nights running, traditionally giving farmers extended evening light to bring in crops.
Those bright early-evening risings give riders extra trail-ride daylight. Cooler nights also start the conversation about blanketing — most healthy horses still don't need one in September.
What This Means for Your Barn
Sewells Point, VA
Station 8638610 · 7-day prediction
Phase Progress
The Moon doesn't make light — it reflects the Sun's. As it orbits Earth (about every 29.5 days), the angle between Sun, Earth, and Moon changes, so we see different fractions of its sunlit hemisphere.
The dividing line between lit and unlit on the Moon's surface is called the terminator. From Earth, the terminator's projected shape is a half-ellipse, which is why the bright portion looks curved at every phase except full and new.
A synodic month (29.53 days, the cycle of phases) is slightly longer than a sidereal month (27.32 days, the time to orbit Earth once relative to the stars) — because Earth itself moves around the Sun during the orbit, so the Moon has to "catch up" to align with the Sun again.
- New Moon
- Moon between Earth and Sun; sunlit side faces away. Disc is dark.
- Waxing Crescent
- Lit fraction growing from 0 toward 50%, terminator on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
- First Quarter
- Half lit; right hemisphere bright, left dark. Rises around midday.
- Waxing Gibbous
- More than half lit, growing toward full. Sets after midnight.
- Full Moon
- Earth between Sun and Moon; entire near side lit. Rises at sunset, sets at sunrise.
- Waning Gibbous
- More than half lit, shrinking from full. Rises after sunset.
- Last Quarter
- Half lit; left hemisphere bright, right dark. Rises around midnight.
- Waning Crescent
- Lit fraction below 50%, shrinking to 0; rises before sunrise.
The Moon's gravity tugs on Earth's oceans, lifting a bulge of water on the side facing the Moon. A second bulge forms on the opposite side because Earth itself is being pulled toward the Moon, leaving the far ocean slightly behind.
Earth rotates through both bulges roughly every 24 hours, which is why most coasts see two high tides and two low tides per day. The Sun adds about a third of the Moon's tidal pull — when both align (new and full moons), tides are extra strong (spring tides); when they're at right angles (quarters), tides are gentler (neap tides).
For coastal trail riders and beach haulers, this means the timing of safe ride windows shifts about 50 minutes later each day, tracking the Moon's transit.
- Mares foal more on full moons
- Mostly false. Several large studies of equine birth records found no statistically significant correlation between lunar phase and foaling rate. Daylight, temperature, and individual mare patterns drive timing far more than the moon.
- More colics on full moons
- No good evidence. Vet practice records consistently show no lunar pattern. The myth probably persists because vets remember the late-night calls — and full moons make for vivid memories.
- Bright moonlight makes horses spookier at night
- Plausible and partly supported. Bright moonlight casts crisp moving shadows that can trigger flight responses, especially in less-trail-experienced horses. The countervailing effect: better visibility means horses can identify what they're seeing, which often calms them.
- Predators are more active under bright moons
- Mixed by species. Some predators (coyotes, mountain lions) actually hunt less during bright moons because prey is more cautious. Pasture risk to horses on full-moon nights isn't elevated by predator behavior alone.