Waning Gibbous Moon Emoji
U+1F316:waning_gibbous_moon:About Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖
Waning Gibbous Moon () is part of the Travel & Places group in Unicode. Added in Unicode E1.0. Type on GitHub and Slack to use it. Click copy above to grab it, paste it anywhere.
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Often associated with gibbous, moon, space, and 1 more keywords.
Scroll down for the full story: meaning, trends, combos, and more.
How it looks
What does it mean?
The waning gibbous moon emoji (🌖) shows a moon still mostly illuminated but beginning to shrink — lit on the left side, fading on the right. It's the first phase after the full moon, the moment the cycle tips from growing to declining.
If the waxing gibbous (🌔) represents "almost there," the waning gibbous represents "just past the peak." In astrology, it's the gratitude and dissemination phase — you've reached the full moon's climax, and now it's time to share what you've gained and begin reflecting on the experience.
The waning gibbous is the moon of the morning after. Still bright, still impressive, but unmistakably past its peak. It rises late in the evening and is often visible in the morning sky — that surprising moon you see during daylight hours is frequently a waning gibbous.
Approved in Unicode 6.0 (2010) as WANING GIBBOUS MOON SYMBOL.
🌖 appears almost exclusively in moon phase tracking and astrology content. It's the mirror twin of 🌔 (waxing gibbous) and shares its fate as a rarely independently used emoji.
Astrology accounts use it during the days after full moon with messages about gratitude, reflection, and sharing knowledge. "Waning gibbous 🌖 — what did the full moon teach you?" is a typical post.
In the complete phase sequence (🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘), 🌖 marks the beginning of the return journey. It's the start of winding down.
The waning gibbous moon — mostly lit but shrinking after the full moon. In astrology, it's the gratitude and reflection phase. As a metaphor, it means 'just past the peak' — still bright, but the high point is behind you.
The Complete Lunar Cycle
| Illumination | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 🌑 New Moon | 0% | Invisible. New beginnings, intentions, void. |
| 🌒 Waxing Crescent | 1-49% | First sliver. Growth starting, hope emerging. |
| 🌓 First Quarter | 50% | Half lit (right). Decision point, action. |
| 🌔 Waxing Gibbous | 51-99% | Almost full. Refinement, patience. |
| 🌕 Full Moon | 100% | Fully lit. Completion, intensity, werewolves. |
| 🌖 Waning Gibbous | 99-51% | Starting to shrink. Gratitude, sharing. |
| 🌗 Last Quarter | 50% | Half lit (left). Release, forgiveness. |
| 🌘 Waning Crescent | 49-1% | Final sliver. Rest, surrender, closure. |
Emoji combos
Fun facts
- •The waning gibbous moon is the phase most often seen during daylight hours. It rises around 9-10 PM and doesn't set until mid-morning, making it visible in the western sky well after sunrise. That pale moon you see in the blue morning sky is usually a waning gibbous.
- •The word 'wane' comes from Old English 'wanian' (to lessen). It's the opposite of 'wax' (to grow). These terms are used almost exclusively for the moon in modern English — you rarely hear 'wax' and 'wane' outside of lunar contexts.
- •In traditional agriculture, the waning phases (gibbous through crescent) were considered the best time to harvest, prune, and mow. The theory: as the moon's gravitational pull decreases, sap flows downward, making it better for cutting. Modern science doesn't fully support this, but many organic farmers still follow lunar planting calendars.
Trivia
FAQ
The phase immediately after a full moon. The moon is still more than half illuminated but shrinking each night. 'Waning' means decreasing, 'gibbous' means more than half lit. It lasts about 7 days before reaching the last quarter.
You are probably looking at a waning gibbous. It rises late evening and sets mid-morning, spending many hours in the daytime sky. The moon is bright enough to be visible even against a blue sky, though it appears pale and ghostly compared to its nighttime brilliance.
From the Latin 'gibbosus' meaning 'humpbacked'. In astronomy, it describes a moon more than half illuminated but not yet (or no longer) full. Both 🌔 (waxing gibbous) and 🌖 (waning gibbous) are gibbous phases.
🌔 (waxing gibbous) is growing toward full, lit on the right side. 🌖 (waning gibbous) is shrinking from full, lit on the left side. They are mirror images in both appearance and meaning — anticipation vs. reflection.
Traditional agriculture recommends harvesting, pruning, and mowing during waning phases. The theory is that decreasing lunar gravity pulls plant moisture downward. The Farmers' Almanac and biodynamic agriculture still follow these lunar schedules.
About 7 days, from the day after the full moon until the last quarter (half moon). During this time, the illuminated portion shrinks from roughly 99% to 50%.
It is one of the least independently used emoji. It mostly appears in complete moon phase sequences or astrology phase-tracking posts. The waning phases in general get far less engagement than new and full moons.
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