How to read a solunar table: majors, minors and ratings explained

A solunar table lists times and ratings. Learn what each column means and how to turn it into a plan for your hunt or fishing trip.

A solunar table looks like a wall of numbers: times, symbols, maybe stars. It's actually simple once you know the four things it tells you. Here is how to read one, and how to skip the table entirely with a dial.

The four things a table lists

Major periods. Two times per day, when the moon is overhead and underfoot. Each lasts about two hours.
Minor periods. Two shorter windows, around moonrise and moonset, lasting about an hour.
Sunrise and sunset. Printed so you can see which windows overlap with low light.
A day rating. Some tables give 1 to 4 stars or a "good / better / best" label, usually based on moon phase.

For the full story of why these windows exist, see what is solunar theory?.

How to read the times

Table times are normally the center of the window. A major listed at 7:30 runs roughly 6:30 to 8:30. A minor at 13:15 runs roughly 12:45 to 13:45. Not every table says it, so check the notes. Major vs minor periods explains the length of each.

Match times to your location

Moon times depend on where you are. A table for another city can be off by many minutes, and a table for another time zone can be off by hours. If you hunt or fish at a lake, use coordinates for the lake, not the nearest big town. Also watch for daylight saving: check whether the table uses local clock time.

Turning a table into a plan

Circle the windows that overlap sunrise or sunset. They're your best bets.
Prefer major over minor when two options overlap with similar light.
Cross-check with the weather: wind and pressure.
Pick one window, arrive early and stay for all of it.

The problem with tables

A static table gives you one day at a time, in one place, with no way to compare the next ten days. That's why Solunar shows the same data as arcs on a 24-hour dial, a countdown to the next window, and a heatmap of the coming days. You read the day in two seconds instead of two minutes. See the whole flow in best time to fish today.