Home (Lunar phase)
Home  
 
 
Home » Astronomy » Lunar phase


 

Lunar phase

Astronomy Lunar OccultationLunation

Lunar phase refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth.

 


LUNAR PHASES
As the moon circles the Earth, the shape of the moon appears to change; this is because different amounts of the illuminated part of the moon are facing us.

Lunar Phases
Cyclically recurring apparent forms of the Moon. New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, ...

Lunar phase in which the moon appears as a half disk.
quasar (quasi-stellar object, or QSO)
Small, powerful sources of energy believed to be the active cores of very distant galaxies.

See also: Lunar phase, Earthshine, and Observing the Moon
During its brightest phase, at "full moon", the Moon has an apparent magnitude of about âˆ'12.6. By comparison, the Sun has an apparent magnitude of âˆ'26.8.

new moon
The lunar phase which occurs when the Moon and Sun are in the same location in the sky. The moon is, therefore, not visible as the far side of the Moon is illuminated.

Earth's Moon
Lunar Phases
Weather and Atmospheric Phenomena
Earth's Atmosphere ...

This, along with Galileo noting that Venus exhibited a full set of phases resembling lunar phases, was seen as incompatible with the church's favoured model of the Earth at the centre of the universe and led to much controversy.

You can use the illustration of the lunar phases at the top to find out the time of day when the Moon will be visible. The Sun is at the right of the figure so a person at position (A) on the Earth (e.g., Los Angeles, CA) sees the Sun on the meridian.

A lunar calendar is synchronized to the motion of the Moon (lunar phases); an example is the Islamic calendar.
A solar calendar is based on perceived seasonal changes synchronized to the apparent motion of the Sun; an example is the Persian calendar.

The mean time for one lunar phase cycle (i.e., the synodic period of the ) is 29.530589 days, or 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 3 seconds. More specifically, a lunation is also commonly defined as the mean time between successive .

The synodic period is related to the lunar phases; it depends on the relative locations of the Sun-Earth-Moon.

At this time, the same lunar phase would be recorded at the same time of the solar calendar year. This period also gives a rough guide to when a lunar eclipse will recur at the same geographic location.

A cycle of Lunar Phases (a Lunation)is completed in approximately 29.5 days so any month except February can have a Blue Moon. Typically, a Blue Moon occurs roughly every two and a half years, hence the expression "Once in a Blue Moon".

Lunar Phase Animation.
Galileo Moon Encounter.
A dramatic view of the moon with Venus in the distance.
Clementine images showing the Apollo 16 lunar landing site.
Astronauts walking near lunar lander and US flag.

From now on, the Babylonian astronomers were able to predict the lunar phases and positions. A similar system was used for the movements of the sun and the five planets (which the Babylonians called Nabû, Ištar, Nergal, Marduk and Ninurta).

We call this New Moon, the beginning of a new cycle of lunar phases. When the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon (5), the near side is the light side. We call this Full Moon, even though we only see half the Moon.

As the Moon revolves around Earth, different parts of this face are illuminated by the Sun, leading to the lunar phases: a dark part of the face is separated from a light part by the solar terminator line.

An arbitrary period of days, usually seven days; approximately equal to the number of days counted between the four phases of the Moon. (see Lunar Phases) [S92] Weinberg Angle (w) ...

phases -- the changing illumination of the Moon or other body that causes its apparent shape to change. The following is the cycle of lunar phases: new, crescent, first quarter, gibbous, full, gibbous, third quarter, crescent, new.

(Synodic Month) - 29.5 days - One revolution with respect to the Sun. This is the time frame that determines lunar phases. Used as the basis for the first Roman Calendar.
T
T Tauri Stars ...

The sidereal month is the amount of time it takes the Moon to return to the same position in the sky with respect to the stars; the sidereal month is 27.321 days long. The synodic month is the time between similar lunar phases (e.g.

Astronomers now recognize different kinds of months, such as the synodic month of 29 days, 12 hr, 44 min, the period of the lunar phases, and the sidereal month of 27 days, 7 hr, 43 min, the period of lunar revolution around the earth.

See also: Phase, Phases, Earth, Moon, Sun