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Paksha

How the two pakshas divide the month

A lunar month splits into a waxing half and a waning half of fifteen tithis each. See how the Moon’s angle from the Sun draws the line between them.

01 · Two halves of one circle

Shukla Paksha takes the Moon from 0° to 180°; Krishna Paksha brings it back.

Over a lunar month the Moon’s lead over the Sun grows from 0° at new Moon to 360° at the next. The first half is Shukla Paksha, the waxing fortnight; the second is Krishna Paksha, the waning one. Each holds fifteen tithis, numbered again from one.

The two pakshas on the Moon’s lead over the Sun A dial of the Moon’s lead over the Sun. The upper half, from 0 to 180 degrees, is Shukla Paksha, when the Moon waxes from new to full; the lower half is Krishna Paksha, when it wanes back to new. Tithis are numbered 1 to 15 within each half. 17 Oct, 12:00: Shukla Paksha, tithi 7, Saptami. SHUKLA · WAXINGKRISHNA · WANING123456789101112131415123456789101112131415 Drawn as from the northern hemisphere 10 OCTOBER TO 9 NOVEMBER 2026
17 Oct, 12:00Shukla Paksha · tithi 7, Saptami · 37% lit
The Moon’s lead and lit fraction from the site’s ephemeris, every three hours.

02 · Not exactly a fortnight

A paksha can be nearly a day and a half longer than the next.

The Moon’s speed changes around its orbit, so the time it takes to gain 180° on the Sun changes too.

How long a paksha lasts Between 2026 and 2036 a paksha lasts from 13.9 to 15.6 days. In October and November 2026, Shukla Paksha lasted 15.5 days and the following Krishna Paksha 14.1. LENGTH OF A PAKSHA, 2026 TO 2036 · DAYS Any paksha Shukla, Oct 202615.5 Krishna, Oct to Nov14.1 13141516
New and full Moon times from the site’s ephemeris.

Two halves of one circle

Over a lunar month the Moon’s lead over the Sun along the ecliptic grows from 0° at one new Moon to 360° at the next. The lunar month is split at the halfway point, the full Moon at 180°:

  • Shukla Paksha (शुक्ल पक्ष), the bright fortnight, runs from new Moon to full Moon. The lit part of the Moon grows.
  • Krishna Paksha (कृष्ण पक्ष), the dark fortnight, runs from full Moon to new Moon. The lit part shrinks.

Each half holds fifteen tithis of 12°, numbered again from one. The first fourteen share their names, Pratipada to Chaturdashi; the fifteenth is Purnima in Shukla Paksha and Amavasya in Krishna Paksha. That is why a full tithi name needs its paksha: Shukla Saptami and Krishna Saptami are 180° apart.

October and November 2026

The new Moon came at 21:20 IST on 10 October 2026, starting Shukla Paksha. The full Moon came at 09:41 on 26 October, ending Purnima and starting Krishna Paksha. The next new Moon came at 12:32 on 9 November, ending Amavasya.

Shukla Paksha lasted 15.5 days and Krishna Paksha 14.1. Between 2026 and 2036 a paksha lasts from 13.9 to 15.6 days: the Moon moves faster when it is near Earth, so the half of the month that includes that part of its orbit is shorter.

Waxing and waning in the sky

In Shukla Paksha the Moon is east of the Sun. It is seen in the evening, after sunset, lit on the side facing the setting Sun. In Krishna Paksha it is west of the Sun and rises later each night, lit on the opposite side, and is best seen before dawn. The Moon looks nearly full for a few evenings on either side of the boundary, as why the Moon looks full for several nights explains.

The two halves also anchor the lunar month names. An Amanta month starts after Amavasya and a Purnimanta month after Purnima, so the same Krishna Paksha day can belong to differently named months; the paksha guide and the lunar month guide explain the names.

See today’s paksha with the tithi on the Delhi Panchang, or explore another topic in Learn.