Barack Obama's Birth Moon

44th President of the United States and the first African American to hold the office.

4 August 1961

Last Quarter

39.6% illuminated

44th US President

On 4 August 1961 the moon was 23 days in, at about the three-quarter point, showing 39.6% of its face. That month's full moon — traditionally called the Buck Moon — had passed 8 days earlier, on 27 July 1961.

The sky on 4 August 1961

Geocentric positions in the tropical zodiac, computed for midday UTC.

☉SunLeo ♌

☽MoonTaurus ♉

☿MercuryLeo ♌

♀VenusCancer ♋

♂MarsVirgo ♍

♃JupiterAquarius ♒℞

♄SaturnCapricorn ♑℞

♅UranusLeo ♌

♆NeptuneScorpio ♏

Jupiter and Saturn were retrograde that day — appearing, from Earth, to move backwards against the stars. It is an effect of the two planets' relative speeds rather than a change in direction, and astrologers read it as a period of review rather than progress.

Moon in Taurus ♉

The moon was passing through Taurus on 4 August 1961, while the sun sat in Leo — which is why Barack Obama's star sign is Leo. The two rarely coincide: the sun takes a month to cross a sign and the moon takes about two and a half days.

Where the sun sign is read as the outward character, the moon sign is read as the emotional register underneath it — the part that is steadied by routine, comfort and physical calm, and is slow both to unsettle and to move on.

Aspects that day

Aspects are the angles bodies form with each other. These were within orb on 4 August 1961:

Moon trine JupiterMoon trine SaturnMercury opposite JupiterMercury opposite SaturnJupiter conjunct Saturn

What a Last Quarter birth moon means

Release and forgive. Let go of habits, thoughts, or relationships that have run their course. Making space is an act of strength.

Traits of the Last Quarter

Last Quarter births are philosophical, transformative, and drawn to endings and beginnings. They understand instinctively that letting go is the path forward. Barack Obama has shown this quality repeatedly — the ability to release what is no longer working and reinvent without losing their core.

How to read all this

Every figure on this page is calculated from Barack Obama's date of birth — the phase, the illumination percentage, the positions and the aspects are astronomy, and they would be the same whoever was born that day. The character readings attached to them are symbolic tradition, not measurement, and are best treated as prompts for reflection rather than claims about a person.

Two things are deliberately missing. Without a birth time we cannot give a rising sign or house placements, since both change through the day — the ascendant shifts roughly every two hours. And without a birthplace there are no moonrise or moonset times, which depend on latitude. Anywhere you see those quoted for a public figure without a documented birth certificate time, treat them with caution.

What was YOUR birth moon phase?

Enter your own date of birth to see the phase, illumination and sky for the day you were born.

Calculate my moon phase