☊ Lunar Nodes Simulation ☋
North Node, South Node and the Dragon Axis
Nodal Motion
Eclipse Connection
Eclipses occur when the Sun or Moon is near the nodal points. This is why the nodes are also known as the "eclipse axis." The nodes move in retrograde and complete the zodiac circle in approximately 18.6 years.
Nodal Meanings
Current Nodal Axis
Understanding the Dragon Axis
☋ South Node
The diminishing end. It lessens and disperses the effect of the planet and house it falls on: it lowers the good of a benefic, and to some degree softens the harm of a malefic.
☊ North Node
The increasing end. It multiplies and intensifies the effect of the planet and house it falls on: with a benefic it enlarges the blessing, with a malefic it enlarges the harm.
About This Tool
The lunar nodes are the two points where the Moon's inclined orbit crosses the ecliptic (the Sun's apparent yearly path). The point where the Moon passes from south to north is the North Node (☊ Caput Draconis, the Dragon's Head). The point where it descends from north to south is the South Node (☋ Cauda Draconis, the Dragon's Tail). The two points always stand 180° apart, and the classical sources picture them as a single celestial dragon wrapped around the sky: head and tail.
In traditional astrology the nodes have no light and no nature of their own. Their effect comes from modifying the nature of the planet and house they join. Caput Draconis is an increaser: joined to a benefic (Jupiter, Venus) it multiplies the good, joined to a malefic (Saturn, Mars) it enlarges the harm as well. Cauda Draconis is a diminisher: it lessens the good of a benefic and to some degree disperses the harm of a malefic. William Lilly, in Christian Astrology, counts the Head "by nature an increaser" and the Tail a diminisher. Bonatti and Masha'allah give the same principle of increase and decrease.
The most concrete function of the nodes is the eclipse. An eclipse can occur only when the Sun and Moon are close enough to the nodes, which is why the nodal axis is also called the "eclipse axis." Ptolemy, in the Tetrabiblos, treats the place and duration of eclipses through the nodes. In a natal chart, the signs and houses of the nodes show which areas of life coming eclipses will set in motion.
You can read more about the meaning of the North and South Node in the birth chart in our lunar nodes article.
The plane of the Moon's orbit slowly wobbles, and this wobble drags the nodes backwards (retrograde) through the zodiac. The nodes stay about 18.5 months in a sign and complete the whole circle in about 18.6 years. This rhythm sets the moments of the "nodal return," when the nodes come back to their birth positions (around ages 19, 37-38 and 55-56).
What does this simulation do? With the animation and the slider it shows the retrograde journey of the nodes, the dragon axis that always stands in opposition, and the current nodal position, so you can follow the motion of Caput and Cauda through the zodiac and their link with eclipses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the lunar nodes (Caput and Cauda Draconis)?
They are the two opposite points where the Moon's inclined orbit crosses the ecliptic. The point where the Moon passes north is Caput Draconis (the Dragon's Head, ☊), and the point where it descends south is Cauda Draconis (the Dragon's Tail, ☋). They are not physical bodies but mathematical intersections, also known as the "eclipse axis."
What does Caput Draconis (the North Node) mean in classical astrology?
It is an increaser by nature: it multiplies and intensifies the nature of the planet or house it conjoins. With a benefic it enlarges the blessing, with a malefic it enlarges the harm. Lilly and Bonatti count it "by nature an increaser."
What does Cauda Draconis (the South Node) mean?
It is a diminisher by nature: it lessens and disperses the influence it conjoins. It lowers the good of a benefic and to some degree softens the harm of a malefic.
Why are the nodes called a "dragon"?
The two nodes are always opposite, and the classical sources think of them as a single celestial dragon wrapped around the sky: Caput (head) and Cauda (tail). The image of a dragon that briefly "swallows" the Sun and Moon during eclipses comes from here.
Why do the nodes move backwards (retrograde)?
The plane of the Moon's orbit slowly wobbles, and this wobble keeps dragging the nodal points backwards through the zodiac. The nodes stay about 18.5 months in a sign and complete the whole circle backwards in about 18.6 years.
What is the nodal return, and when does it happen?
It is the moment when the nodes return to their positions in your birth chart, around ages 18-19, 37-38 and 55-56. In traditional timing these are noteworthy turning points.
How are the nodes related to eclipses?
Eclipses happen only when a New Moon or Full Moon falls close enough to the nodes. That is why the nodal axis in your natal chart points to the signs and houses where eclipses will act most strongly.
Which classical sources discuss the nodes?
Ptolemy discusses them in the Tetrabiblos in the context of eclipses, and Masha'allah and Bonatti in the doctrine of increase and decrease. William Lilly, in Christian Astrology, treats the Dragon's Head as an increaser and the Tail as a diminisher.