![]() ![]() ![]() The sun's light is now shining on the other half of the visible face of the moon. This is the waning gibbous phase.ĭays later, the moon has moved another quarter of the way around Earth, to the third quarter position. Next, the moon moves until more than half of its face appears to be getting sunlight, but the amount is decreasing. The moon’s disk is as close as it can be to being fully illuminated by the sun, so this is called full moon. When the moon has moved 180 degrees from its new moon position, the sun, Earth and the moon form a line. This phase is called a waxing gibbous moon. More than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight. This thin sliver is called the waxing crescent.Ī week after the new moon, the moon is 90 degrees away from the sun in the sky and is half-illuminated from our point of view - what we call first quarter because it is about a quarter of the way around Earth.Ī few days later, the area of illumination continues to increase. There are four phases of the moon, new moon, first quarter moon, full moon and third quarter moon.Īt new moon, the moon is between Earth and the sun, so that the side of the moon facing toward us receives no direct sunlight, and is lit only by dim sunlight reflected from Earth.Ī few days later, as the moon moves around Earth, the side we can see gradually becomes more illuminated by direct sunlight. On average, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, which means sometimes it rises during daylight and other times at night. As the moon revolves around Earth, it is illuminated from varying angles by the sun - what we see when we look at the moon is reflected sunlight. So, the moon always shows us the same face there is no single "dark side" of the moon. It also takes about 27 days for the moon to rotate on its axis. The moon is a sphere that travels once around Earth every 27.3 days. The moon phases of June 2023 and their dates. November: Corn Moon, Milk Moon, Flower Moon, Hare Moonĭecember: Strawberry Moon, Honey Moon, Rose Moon The phases of the moon explained with dates October: Egg Moon, Fish Moon, Seed Moon, Pink Moon, Waking Moon September: Worm Moon, Lenten Moon, Crow Moon, Sugar Moon, Chaste Moon, Sap Moon June: Oak Moon, Cold Moon, Long Night’s MoonĪugust: Snow Moon, Storm Moon, Hunger Moon, Wolf Moon May: Hunter’s Moon, Beaver Moon, Frost Moon January: Hay Moon, Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, Mead Moonįebruary (mid-summer): Grain Moon, Sturgeon Moon, Red Moon, Wyrt Moon, Corn Moon, Dog Moon, Barley MoonĪpril: Harvest Moon, Hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon ![]() According to, these are common names for full moons south of the equator. In the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are switched, the Harvest Moon occurs in March and the Cold Moon is in June. At least, that's how it works in the Northern Hemisphere. What you can see in this month's night skyįull moon names often correspond to seasonal markers, so a Harvest Moon occurs at the end of the growing season, in September or October, and the Cold Moon occurs in frosty December. How to observe the moon with a telescope If you're looking for binoculars or a telescope to observe the moon, check out our guides for the best binoculars and best telescopes. If you need imaging gear, consider our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography to ensure you're ready for your next skywatching venture. You can prepare for the next full moon or eclipse with our guides on how to photograph the moon and how to photograph a lunar eclipse. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide. Only when the moon, Earth and the sun are perfectly aligned is the moon 100% full, and that alignment produces a lunar eclipse.Īnd sometimes - once in a blue moon - the moon is full twice in a month (or four times in a season, depending on which definition you prefer).įancy taking a more in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion? Our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. We always see the same side of the moon, but part of it is in shadow, due to the moon's rotation. Most of the time, the full moon isn't perfectly full. The full moon shows its face to Earth about once a month. ![]()
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