The moon’s phases are one of the vital acquainted sights within the evening sky. Each month, we see our lone satellite tv for pc wax and wane by a sequence of shapes, taking it from an unmissable full moon all the way down to a tiny sliver of a crescent, briefly disappearing from view totally after which returning to full as soon as extra.
This web page was up to date on Sept. 15, 2022
What’s the moon section at this time?
Tonight, Sept. 15, 2022, the moon is on the waning gibbous section of its lunar cycle, and is 71% illuminated. The moon is 19 days previous — which means it’s that many days into its roughly 30-day cycle.
The cycle at a look:
-On Sept. 17, the moon enters its Third Quarter section, the place half of the moon’s Earth-facing aspect seems illuminated because the moon wanes towards a brand new cycle.
-On Sept. 25, a New Moon will rise, with the moon’s floor showing utterly darkish. That is the beginning of the following lunar cycle.
-On Oct. 2, the moon enters it First Quarter section the place half of the moon’s Earth-facing aspect seems illuminated because the moon waxes towards full illumination.
-On Oct. 9 the following Full Moon rises. The October full moon can be referred to as the Hunter’s Moon.
Moon section calendar
| Date | Part of the moon | Time (ET) |
| Sept. 10 | Full Moon | 5:59 a.m. |
| Sept. 17 | Third Quarter | 5:52 p.m. |
| Sept. 25 | New Moon | 5:54 p.m. |
| Oct. 2 | First Quarter | 8:14 p.m. |
| Oct. 9 | Full Moon | 4:54 p.m. |
| Oct. 17 | Third Quarter | 1:15 p.m. |
| Oct. 25 | New Moon | 6:48 a.m. |
| Nov. 1 | First Quarter | 2:37 a.m. |
| Nov. 8 | Full Moon | 6:02 a.m. |
| Nov. 16 | Third Quarter | 8:27 a.m. |
| Nov. 23 | New Moon | 5:57 p.m. |
| Nov. 30 | First Quarter | 9:36 a.m. |
| Dec. 7 | Full Moon | 11:08 p.m. |
| Dec. 16 | Third Quarter | 3:56 a.m. |
| Dec. 23 | New Moon | 5:16 a.m. |
| Dec. 29 | First Quarter | 8:20 p.m. |
Because the phases are the moon are brought on by the moon’s orbit round Earth, they’re totally predictable. In actual fact, it’s doable to work out the dates we would see these phases for the following 50 million years. This is what it should seem like tonight:
What are the moon’s phases?
We are saying the moon is “new” when there is no gentle from the moon reaching Earth. Over time, we start to see extra of it and we are saying the moon is waxing.
First, we see a waxing crescent, then a so-called “first quarter moon.” It is a barely complicated identify as a result of it really seems as a half-illuminated moon within the evening sky. But when you consider it, the moon could be cut up into 4 quarters: two on the aspect of the moon dealing with us after which two on the aspect that faces away from the Earth. Throughout a primary quarter moon, skywatchers see 1 / 4 of the whole Moon illuminated.
Subsequent comes a waxing gibbous moon — half means between a primary quarter and a full moon. (It comes from an previous Center English phrase for “hump” as a result of that is the form it resembles within the evening sky.) After the moon is full we are saying that the moon begins to wane. So a waning gibbous comes first, adopted by a final quarter moon, a waning crescent after which a new moon as soon as extra.
It takes 29.5 days to undergo this cycle of phases as soon as, based on the Lunar and Planetary Institute.
Why does the Moon have phases?
“The moon is simply seen to us as a result of it’s reflecting the solar’s gentle,” mentioned Dhara Patel, an area professional at the UK’s Nationwide House Centre in Leicester. “Wherever the moon is in its orbit across the Earth, it’s at all times half lit up by the solar.” Patel informed Stay Science. The identical goes for the Earth – half of us expertise daylight whereas the opposite half expertise evening.
The identical half of the moon at all times faces the Earth, too. “The moon spins on its axis and orbits the Earth in the identical period of time – it is referred to as synchronous rotation,” Patel mentioned. Typically the illuminated half of the moon coincides with the half dealing with Earth. In that case, we see a Full Moon. This occurs when the moon is on the other aspect of the Solar from Earth. Earth usually would not block the daylight as a result of the Moon’s orbit is barely tilted. When Earth does block the sunshine, we see a lunar eclipse.
When the moon is between Earth and the solar, daylight is totally illuminating the half dealing with away from us and so we see no gentle in any respect, or a New Moon. Once more, the lean of the moon’s orbit normally prevents the moon from blocking our view of the solar. When it often does we see a photo voltaic eclipse.
When daylight is partially falling on our aspect and partially on the opposite we see the intermediate phases reminiscent of crescent, quarter and gibbous moons, based on Sky and Telescope (opens in new tab).
What’s the darkish aspect of the Moon?
Individuals typically discuss with the aspect of the moon that at all times factors away from us because the “darkish aspect of the Moon,” maybe partially because of the Pink Floyd album of the identical identify. It could be a typical phrase, however, based on Patel, it is not the proper terminology to make use of. “The moon would not have a darkish aspect, it has a far aspect,” Patel mentioned. That far aspect is simply very hardly ever utterly darkish – throughout a Full Moon when our aspect is totally illuminated. In any respect different occasions, the far aspect is at the least partly illuminated, she mentioned.
What’s a lunar or moon calendar?
“All through human historical past, lots of completely different civilizations and cultures have used the moon to dictate their calendars,” Patel mentioned. Within the Gregorian calendar, years are divided into into months, which comes from the phrase “moonths”. The typical size of a calendar month may be very near the 29.5 days it takes for the moon’s phases to cycle by.
The date of the Christian pageant of Easter, for instance, is calculated utilizing the moon. Easter Sunday falls on the primary Sunday after the complete moon that happens on or after the Spring equinox. If the complete Moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter is the following Sunday.
The Jewish and Islamic calendars are additionally primarily based on the moon.
And Chinese language, Vietnamese, Hindu and Thai calendars are additionally nonetheless primarily based on the moon. “In some cultures, the complete moon every month is given a selected identify to assist hold observe of time and the seasons,” Patel mentioned.
Further assets
- Study extra concerning the phases of the moon utilizing this unimaginable interactive web site from NASA (opens in new tab).
- Hear concerning the moon’s violent delivery and the way the phases of the moon have formed our lives on this video from Nationwide Geographic (opens in new tab).
- And for an extra-deep dive, discover out every part you ever wished to learn about Earth’s omnipresent satellite tv for pc within the e book “The Ebook of the Moon: A Information to Our Closest Neighbor (opens in new tab)” (Abrams Picture, 2019).
