![]() The phases of the Moon depend on its position in relation to the Sun and Earth. What causes the different phases of the Moon? The part facing away from the sun is in darkness. The part of the moon facing the sun is lit up. The moon is illuminated because it reflects the light from the sun. What causes part of the Moon to be lit up? The lunar phase is the amount of the Moon you can see from Earth depending on how much of it is lit up by the sun. The lit part of the Moon always points the way to the Sun. The Moon phases are produced by the alignment of the Moon and the Sun in the sky. ![]() From Earth we see the Moon grow from a thin crescent to a full disk (or full moon) and then shrink back to a thin crescent again before vanishing for a few days. The revolution of the Moon around the Earth makes the Moon appear as if it is changing shape in the sky. Dates closest to new moon provide the darkest skies and the best opportunities to spot meteors.Follow this link to see our Moon Phases Calendar 2013 / 2014 Click here for 4 keys to understanding moon phases.īottom line: Use our calendar to find out what phase the moon is in. The last quarter moon can also be called the 3rd quarter moon. When the moon’s phase is shrinking toward new it’s called waning. To learn more about moon phases, why they might look a bit different depending on where you are on the globe, and a quirky phenomenon called lunar libration caused by a wobble in the moon, follow the links! When the moon is growing larger from new to full it is waxing. Or make up your own! The Back-to-School Moon in September is a favorite full moon (although maybe not for kids). Check out this list of full moon names and decide what name works best for the moon where you live. A minimoon happens when a new or full moon is farthest from Earth in its monthly orbit.ĭifferent cultures in different time periods have given names to the full moons. A full supermoon will appear slightly larger than a normal full moon, though often not enough larger for the average observer to notice a difference. It happens when the moon is new or full, and also closest to Earth in its monthly orbit around us. ![]() Supermoons and other full moon namesĪnother sort of moon beloved in popular culture is a supermoon. Old moon is the name for the crescent moon as it wanes (gets narrower) when new moon is approaching. Young moon is the name for the crescent moon as it waxes (gets wider day by day) after new moon. By this definition, the August 22, 2021, full moon is a Blue Moon. There are no months with two full moons in 2021.Ī less common definition of a Blue Moon is the third full moon in a season with four full moons. Depending on how the lunation lines up with the calendar month, you can have two full moons in a month, which means the second full moon of the month is called a Blue Moon. The four major moon phases of a lunation are new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter.Įvery month will have all four of those phases, and some months will have one of those phases repeated. Your support helps EarthSky keep going!Īstronomers call the period from one new moon to the next a lunation. Want to know the moon phase for every single day of 2022? EarthSky’s lunar calendars are available now! We’re guaranteed to sell out, so get one while you can. Central time zone that becomes the evening before: January 12 at 11:02 p.m. For example, the new moon on January 13, 2021, is at 5:02 UTC. Note that, when you translate from UTC, the date of a moon phase will sometimes change. Thus, the January 6 last quarter moon is at 3:38 a.m. ![]() If you live in North America’s Central time zone, you have to subtract 6 hours from UTC (5 hours during daylight saving time). Here’s how to translate UTC to your time zone. It’s essentially the same as Greenwich Mean Time, the date and time in Greenwich, England, at the 0-degree line of longitude. All the dates and times above are given in the time system most commonly used by astronomers, Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC). The moon reaches the crest of any given phase – new, first quarter, full or last quarter – at the same exact moment for all of us. To read moon phase information in text format, visit this page. ![]()
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