Moon Phase _VERIFIED

The Waning Gibbous on January 1 has an illumination of 74%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On January 1 the Moon is 19.8 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases. The 8 Lunar Phases There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

At the new Moon phase, the Moon is so close to the Sun in the sky that none of the side facing Earth is illuminated (position 1 in illustration). In other words, the Moon is between Earth and Sun. At first quarter, the half-lit Moon is highest in the sky at sunset, then sets about six hours later (3). At full Moon, the Moon is behind Earth in space with respect to the Sun. As the Sun sets, the Moon rises with the side that faces Earth fully exposed to sunlight (5).The Moon has phases because it orbits Earth, which causes the portion we see illuminated to change. The Moon takes 27.3 days to orbit Earth, but the lunar phase cycle (from new Moon to new Moon) is 29.5 days. The Moon spends the extra 2.2 days "catching up" because Earth travels about 45 million miles around the Sun during the time the Moon completes one orbit around Earth.

Moon Phase

DOWNLOAD 🔥 https://tlniurl.com/2y4B0K 🔥

The term "blue Moon" has not always been used this way, however. While the exact origin of the phrase remains unclear, it does in fact refer to a rare blue coloring of the Moon caused by high-altitude dust particles. Most sources credit this unusual event, occurring only "once in a blue moon," as the true progenitor of the colorful phrase.

Astronomers have broken down this cycle into four primary Moon phases: New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Last Quarter. There are also four secondary phases: Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous, and Waning Crescent. The primary phases occur at a specific moment, no matter where you are on Earth, which is then converted to local time. (Depending on where you live, you may or may not be able to see the exact moment of a phase, in part because the Moon may not have risen yet in your area.) The secondary phases, however, represent a span of time rather than a specific moment.

Below are general guidelines as to where to look for the Moon during each of its phases. Times mentioned are solar time, not clock time. The four primary phases (in italics) rise and set at a point in time; the four secondary phases occur over a broader timespan.

Of the moon, we always see a hemisphere and a little more because its rotation is synchronous and blocked by the tide. This means that one lunar rotation on its axis corresponds to the time of revolution around Earth, equal to 29.5 days. On a daily basis, the moon appears to move eastward in the sky by 12, and this determines different angles of its illumination by the sun. As it orbits Earth, the moon will show different illuminated parts based on the angle to the sun and hence the phases of a lunation. Although these lighting variations are gradual, traditionally, only four moments are identified, which are also useful for regulating the ancient calendars.

The substantial difference is in the illumination percentage of the side facing the Earth. In the new moon phase, this percentage is 0% and becomes 100% at Full moon, about 14 days later. Thanks to the regular repetition of these moments, since ancient times, the lunar phases have been the basis of the lunisolar calendar.

\nHowever, it was difficult to establish the exact moment of the new moon, therefore, many ancient civilizations started the lunar month with the appearance of the first crescent after sunset. However, this is a very simplified description since the lunar motion is actually very complex, and the perspective with which we see the near side constantly changes, getting to see almost 60% of the lunar surface thanks to the phenomenon called libration.

The production of the phases depends on the Earth-moon-sun geometry and on the revolution motion of the moon around the Earth. Moving towards the east, our satellite rises later every day, and this is the reason why we see it in different positions at the same time. Approximately every day the moon delays its rising (and setting) by about 50 minutes, and this explains why the waxing becomes better visible a few days after the new moon as the elongation from the sun increases and further and further eastward.

Tides are periodic changes in sea level known since ancient times. The phenomenon was explained satisfactorily by Isaac Newton, attributing it to the gravitational attraction exerted by the moon and the sun. We can consider the gravitational attraction exerted by the other planets to be negligible, therefore the greatest effects on the Earth will be those produced by the sun and the moon. These three bodies attract each other, however, the greatest effect is in the Earth-moon interaction.

\nBoth the moon and the Earth undergo a deformation along the line joining them, however, it is the fluid masses of the oceans that undergo the most significant deformations with the formation of a swelling.

In addition to the swelling along the joining line, a diametrically opposite one on the other side of the Earth is formed due to the centrifugal force. The bulges move with the rotation of the moon around the Earth. An observer on the Earth's surface as the bulge approaches will see the sea level rise and then fall after it is exceeded. This observed phenomenon is called a tide. When the sea level is minimum, it is called low tide, while when it is maximum, it is a phase of high tide.

\nThe difference in height between the height of high tide and low tide is defined as a tidal range. The behavior of the tides is influenced by the orography and shape of the basins, size, and depth. Two to four tides can occur in one day. If there is one high and one low tide, we speak of diurnal tides, while if there are two high and two low tides, these are called semi-diurnal tides. During diurnal tides, the excursion is minimal, while for diurnal tides, the difference in level can also be considerable. It also depends on the height of the moon above the equator as a result of its inclined orbit. The sun also affects the tides, albeit less so than the moon, by attracting masses of water. The solar role is additive to the lunar one therefore, the respective geometry also influences the tides.

When the moon is New or Full, the tides are maximum because the attraction forces of the sun and the moon add up. When the moon is in the First or Last Quarter, forming a 90 angle with the sun and the Earth, the tides are minimal because the attractive forces of the sun and moon oppose each other. To predict the magnitude of the tide we will also consider the position of the sun.

Moon phases reveal the passage of time in the night sky. Some nights when we look up at the moon, it is full and bright; sometimes it is just a sliver of silvery light. These changes in appearance are the phases of the moon. As the moon orbits Earth, it cycles through eight distinct phases.

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001. He covers skywatching, human spaceflight, exploration as well as space science and entertainment, and enjoys observing the moon through a tabletop Celestron telescope when the weather is clear."}), " -7-12/js/person.js"); } else { console.log('no lazy slice hydration function available'); }Tariq MalikEditor-in-ChiefTariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001. He covers skywatching, human spaceflight, exploration as well as space science and entertainment, and enjoys observing the moon through a tabletop Celestron telescope when the weather is clear.

While the moon has four primary phases each month, it is always changing. As you observe the moon during the month, watch as it grows from a new moon to a first quarter moon. As it grows, it is known as a waxing moon, and gradually increases from a waxing "crescent" (for its shape into the first quarter moon. As it continues to brighten, it takes on an oblong, or "gibbous," shape until it reaches the full moon stage. Then it will repeat the steps in reverse as it heads back to a new moon. You can see what today's moon phase is here with the embedded widget on this page, courtesy of In-The-Sky.org.

After the full moon, the next moon phase in December will be the "last quarter moon," which is also known as the third quarter moon. It will occur on Wednesday, Jan.3, at 10:30 p.m. EST (0330 Jan. 4 GMT).

During the last quarter moon, only the left half of the moon will appear illuminated, as seen from Earth. What we'll see is only half of the half of the moon (a quarter) that will be illuminated in this phase.

After the First Quarter moon on Dec. 19, the next moon phase milestone will be the Full Moon on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 1:29 p.m. EST (1829 GMT). The December full moon is known as the Cold Moon and this year will be situated amidst the season's brightest constellations. e24fc04721