The Black Moon is one of the chart points that can be displayed in any chart in both Solar Fire and Astro Gold. It is also sometimes known as the Black Moon Lilith, which can be a bit confusing because there is also a point some astrologers use called the Dark Moon Lilith, and another called the Asteroid Lilith. (Solar Fire can also calculate these two Liliths as well, but at present only the Black Moon Lilith is available as a regular chart point in both Solar Fire and Astro Gold.)

The Black Moon is not an actual body, but rather is the empty focal point of the Moons orbit around the earth, which is also the apogee of the Moons orbit.

There are two settings for the Black Moon in Solar Fire, and in Astro Gold, and in order for you to show the identically calculated point in both programs you need to make sure you have the settings correct in both programs. The settings are either the true (osculating) apogee or the mean apogee. (True Apogee – is the position of the moon’s apogee, taking into account short term fluctuations (osculations) in the plane of the moons orbit. Mean Apogee – is the position of the moon’s apogee according to a mathematical formula which ignores many of the minor perturbations in its orbit.)

ASTRO GOLD
Open Settings and scroll down until you see Black Moon. Click on Mean or True, as is your preference.

SOLAR FIRE
At the top of Solar Fire, click on Preferences, and then Edit settings. Click on the Calculations tab, and then in the Black Moon section click either True Apogee or Mean Apogee, whichever is your preference. Then click OK.