Full moon
Encyclopedia
Full moon lunar phase
that occurs when the Moon
is on the opposite side of the Earth
from the Sun
. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent (ecliptic
) longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition
with the Sun.
Lunar eclipse
s can only occur at full moon, where the moon's orbit allows it to pass through the earth's shadow. Lunar eclipses do not occur every month because the moon sometimes passes above or below the earth's shadow. Lunar eclipses can occur only when the full moon occurs near two nodes of the orbit, either the ascending or descending nodes. This causes eclipses to only occur about every 6 months, and often 2 weeks before or after a solar eclipse
at new moon
at the opposite node.
As seen from Earth, the hemisphere of the Moon that is facing the earth (the near side
) is almost fully illuminated by the Sun and appears round. Only during a full moon is the opposite hemisphere of the Moon, which is not visible from Earth (the far side
), completely unilluminated.
The time interval between similar lunar phases—the synodic month—averages about 29.53 days. Therefore, in those lunar calendar
s in which each month begins on the new moon
, the full moon falls on either the 14th or 15th of the lunar month
. Because lunar months have a whole number of days, lunar months may be either 29 or 30 days long.
A full moon is often thought of as an event of a full night's duration. This is somewhat misleading, as the Moon seen from Earth is continuously becoming larger or smaller (though much too slowly to notice with the naked eye
). Its absolute maximum size occurs at the moment expansion has stopped, and when graphed
, its tangent
slope
is zero. For any given location, about half of these absolute maximum full moons will be potentially visible, as the other half occur during the day, when the full moon is below the horizon. Many almanac
s list full moons not just by date, but by their exact time as well, usually in Coordinated Universal Time
(UTC). Typical monthly calendars that include phases of the moon may be off by one day if intended for use in a different time zone
.
Full moons are generally a poor time to conduct astronomical
observations, since the bright reflected sunlight from the moon overwhelms the dimmer light from stars.
On 12 December 2008 the full moon occurred closer to the Earth than it has done at any time for the past 15 years.
where d is the number of days since 1 January 2000 00:00:00 in the Terrestrial Time
scale used in astronomical ephemerides; for Universal Time
(UT) add the following approximate correction to d:
where N is the number of full moons since the first full moon of 2000. The true time of a full moon may differ from this approximation by up to about 14.5 hours as a result of the non-circularity of the moon's orbit. See New moon
for an explanation of the formula and its parameters.
The age and apparent size of the full moon vary in a cycle of just under 14 synodic months, which has been referred to as a full moon cycle
.
Full Moons are traditionally associated with temporal insomnia
, insanity
(hence the terms lunacy and lunatic) and various "magical phenomena" such as lycanthropy
. Psychologists, however, have found that there is no strong evidence for effects on human behavior around the time of a full moon. They find that studies are generally not consistent, with some showing a positive effect and others showing a negative effect. In one instance, the 23 December 2000 issue of the British Medical Journal
published two studies on dog bite admission to hospitals in England and Australia. The study of the Bradford Royal Infirmary
found that dog bites were twice as common during a full moon, whereas the study conducted by the public hospitals in Australia found that they were less likely.
, Thai
, Hebrew
, Islamic
, Tibetan
, Mayan
, Neo-pagan, Germanic, Celtic
, and the traditional Chinese calendar
s are all based on the phases of the Moon. None of these calendars, however, begins its months with the full moon. In the Chinese
, Jewish
, Thai
and some Hindu calendar
s, the full moon always occurs in the middle of a month
.
The Biblical mandate for the celebrations of PASSOVER and the first day of UNLEAVENED BREAD is in chapter twenty-three in verses four through seven:
The Biblical mandate for the holy day of the first day of SUKKOT is also in chapter twenty-three in verses thirty-three through thirty-five:
For further clarification, it should be noted that biblical months always begin at the first sighting of the new moon and that biblical days begin at sundown: thus the evening of the 14th day and the 15th day of the biblical month is the full moon.
). An ancient method of assigning names is based upon seasons and quarters of the year. For instance, the Egg Moon (the full moon before Easter
) would be the first moon after March 21, and the Lenten Moon would be the last moon on or before March 21. Modern practice, however, is to assign the traditional names based on the Gregorian calendar
month when the full moon falls. This method frequently results in the same name as the older method would, and is far more convenient to use.
The following table gives the traditional English names for each month's full moon, the names given by Algonquian peoples
in the northern and eastern United States, other common names, and Hindu and Sinhala names. Note that purnima or pornima is Sanskrit
for full moon, which has also become the Malay word for full moon purnama. Full moon days are sacred according to Buddhist tradition and called Poya
in Sinhala, the dominant language of the Buddhist majority of Sri Lanka.
" traditionally referred to an extra moon in a season
: if a season had four full moons (rather than the more common three), then the third of the four moons was known as a blue moon.
A mistaken definition, that the second full moon in a calendar month is known as a blue moon, became common in parts of the U.S. during the second half of the twentieth century due to a misinterpretation of the Maine Farmers' Almanac in the March 1946 Sky & Telescope
magazine; this was corrected in 1999.
Since there are on the average 12.37 full moons in a year, a "blue moon" must occur on the average every 2.7 years (7 times in the 19 years of the Metonic cycle
), by either definition.
Lunar phase
A lunar phase or phase of the moon is the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun...
that occurs when the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is on the opposite side of the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
from the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent (ecliptic
Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...
) longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition
Opposition (astronomy)
In positional astronomy, two celestial bodies are said to be in opposition when they are on opposite sides of the sky, viewed from a given place . In particular, two planets are in opposition to each other when their ecliptic longitudes differ by 180°.The astronomical symbol for opposition is ☍...
with the Sun.
Lunar eclipse
Lunar eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a...
s can only occur at full moon, where the moon's orbit allows it to pass through the earth's shadow. Lunar eclipses do not occur every month because the moon sometimes passes above or below the earth's shadow. Lunar eclipses can occur only when the full moon occurs near two nodes of the orbit, either the ascending or descending nodes. This causes eclipses to only occur about every 6 months, and often 2 weeks before or after a solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
at new moon
New moon
In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
at the opposite node.
As seen from Earth, the hemisphere of the Moon that is facing the earth (the near side
Near side of the Moon
The near side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that is permanently turned towards the Earth, whereas the opposite side is the far side of the Moon. Only one side of the Moon is visible from Earth because the Moon rotates about its spin axis at the same rate that the Moon orbits the Earth, a...
) is almost fully illuminated by the Sun and appears round. Only during a full moon is the opposite hemisphere of the Moon, which is not visible from Earth (the far side
Far side of the Moon
The far side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that is permanently turned away, and is not visible from the surface of the Earth. The far hemisphere was first photographed by the Soviet Luna 3 probe in 1959, and was first directly observed by human eyes when the Apollo 8 mission orbited the Moon...
), completely unilluminated.
The time interval between similar lunar phases—the synodic month—averages about 29.53 days. Therefore, in those lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
s in which each month begins on the new moon
New moon
In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
, the full moon falls on either the 14th or 15th of the lunar month
Lunar month
In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two identical syzygies . There are many variations. In Middle-Eastern and European traditions, the month starts when the young crescent moon becomes first visible at evening after conjunction with the Sun one or two days before that evening...
. Because lunar months have a whole number of days, lunar months may be either 29 or 30 days long.
Characteristics
Naked eye
The naked eye is a figure of speech referring to human visual perception unaided by a magnifying or light-collecting optical device, such as a telescope or microscope. Vision corrected to normal acuity using corrective lenses is considered "naked"...
). Its absolute maximum size occurs at the moment expansion has stopped, and when graphed
Graph (mathematics)
In mathematics, a graph is an abstract representation of a set of objects where some pairs of the objects are connected by links. The interconnected objects are represented by mathematical abstractions called vertices, and the links that connect some pairs of vertices are called edges...
, its tangent
Tangent
In geometry, the tangent line to a plane curve at a given point is the straight line that "just touches" the curve at that point. More precisely, a straight line is said to be a tangent of a curve at a point on the curve if the line passes through the point on the curve and has slope where f...
slope
Slope
In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line describes its steepness, incline, or grade. A higher slope value indicates a steeper incline....
is zero. For any given location, about half of these absolute maximum full moons will be potentially visible, as the other half occur during the day, when the full moon is below the horizon. Many almanac
Almanac
An almanac is an annual publication that includes information such as weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, and tide tables, containing tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar etc...
s list full moons not just by date, but by their exact time as well, usually in Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
(UTC). Typical monthly calendars that include phases of the moon may be off by one day if intended for use in a different time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
.
Full moons are generally a poor time to conduct astronomical
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
observations, since the bright reflected sunlight from the moon overwhelms the dimmer light from stars.
On 12 December 2008 the full moon occurred closer to the Earth than it has done at any time for the past 15 years.
Formula
The date and approximate time of a specific full moon (assuming a circular orbit) can be calculated from the following equation:where d is the number of days since 1 January 2000 00:00:00 in the Terrestrial Time
Terrestrial Time
Terrestrial Time is a modern astronomical time standard defined by the International Astronomical Union, primarily for time-measurements of astronomical observations made from the surface of the Earth....
scale used in astronomical ephemerides; for Universal Time
Universal Time
Universal Time is a time scale based on the rotation of the Earth. It is a modern continuation of Greenwich Mean Time , i.e., the mean solar time on the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, and GMT is sometimes used loosely as a synonym for UTC...
(UT) add the following approximate correction to d:
-
days
where N is the number of full moons since the first full moon of 2000. The true time of a full moon may differ from this approximation by up to about 14.5 hours as a result of the non-circularity of the moon's orbit. See New moon
New moon
In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
for an explanation of the formula and its parameters.
The age and apparent size of the full moon vary in a cycle of just under 14 synodic months, which has been referred to as a full moon cycle
Full moon cycle
The full moon cycle is a cycle of about 14 lunations over which full moons vary in apparent size and age . The sequence is*Full moon big - *Full moon young -...
.
Folklore
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
, insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
(hence the terms lunacy and lunatic) and various "magical phenomena" such as lycanthropy
Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...
. Psychologists, however, have found that there is no strong evidence for effects on human behavior around the time of a full moon. They find that studies are generally not consistent, with some showing a positive effect and others showing a negative effect. In one instance, the 23 December 2000 issue of the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
published two studies on dog bite admission to hospitals in England and Australia. The study of the Bradford Royal Infirmary
Bradford Royal Infirmary
Bradford Royal infirmary is a large teaching hospital in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and is operated by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS trust. The infirmary is affiliated with Leeds School of Medicine....
found that dog bites were twice as common during a full moon, whereas the study conducted by the public hospitals in Australia found that they were less likely.
Calendars
The HinduHindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
, Thai
Thai lunar calendar
The Thai lunar calendar , or Dai calendar , Tai calendar, is Thailand's version of the lunisolar Buddhist calendar used in the southeast Asian countries of Cambodia, Laos and Burma, for calculating lunar-regulated holy days...
, Hebrew
Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar , or Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today predominantly for Jewish religious observances. It determines the dates for Jewish holidays and the appropriate public reading of Torah portions, yahrzeits , and daily Psalm reading, among many ceremonial uses...
, Islamic
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
, Tibetan
Tibetan calendar
The Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar, that is, the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three years, so that an average Tibetan year is equal to the solar year.The Tibetan New Year...
, Mayan
Maya calendar
The Maya calendar is a system of calendars and almanacs used in the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala. and in Chiapas....
, Neo-pagan, Germanic, Celtic
Coligny calendar
The Gaulish Coligny calendar was found in Coligny, Ain, France near Lyon in 1897, along with the head of a bronze statue of a youthful male figure. It is a lunisolar calendar...
, and the traditional Chinese calendar
Chinese calendar
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well...
s are all based on the phases of the Moon. None of these calendars, however, begins its months with the full moon. In the Chinese
Chinese calendar
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well...
, Jewish
Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar , or Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today predominantly for Jewish religious observances. It determines the dates for Jewish holidays and the appropriate public reading of Torah portions, yahrzeits , and daily Psalm reading, among many ceremonial uses...
, Thai
Thai lunar calendar
The Thai lunar calendar , or Dai calendar , Tai calendar, is Thailand's version of the lunisolar Buddhist calendar used in the southeast Asian countries of Cambodia, Laos and Burma, for calculating lunar-regulated holy days...
and some Hindu calendar
Hindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
s, the full moon always occurs in the middle of a month
Month
A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which was first used and invented in Mesopotamia, as a natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates. The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such months are synodic months and last approximately...
.
Biblical Holy Days
The third book of the Torah, Leviticus, clearly mandates three major holy days on the full moon: PASSOVER, 1st day of UNLEAVENED BREAD, and the 1st day of SUKKOT (Feast of Booths).The Biblical mandate for the celebrations of PASSOVER and the first day of UNLEAVENED BREAD is in chapter twenty-three in verses four through seven:
These are the set feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed season. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is the LORD's Pesach PASSOVER. On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of matzah UNLEAVENED BREAD to the LORD. Seven days you shall eat matzah UNLEAVENED BREAD. In the first day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no regular work.
The Biblical mandate for the holy day of the first day of SUKKOT is also in chapter twenty-three in verses thirty-three through thirty-five:
The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying, "Speak to the children of Yisra'el, and say, 'On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of booths for seven days to the LORD. On the first day shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no regular work....'"
For further clarification, it should be noted that biblical months always begin at the first sighting of the new moon and that biblical days begin at sundown: thus the evening of the 14th day and the 15th day of the biblical month is the full moon.
Full moon names
It is traditional to assign special names to each full moon of the year, though the rules that determine the name for a given month's full moon has changed over time (e.g., the blue moonBlue moon
A blue moon can refer to the third full moon in a season with four full moons. Most years have twelve full moons that occur approximately monthly. In addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains roughly eleven days more than the lunar year of 12 lunations...
). An ancient method of assigning names is based upon seasons and quarters of the year. For instance, the Egg Moon (the full moon before Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
) would be the first moon after March 21, and the Lenten Moon would be the last moon on or before March 21. Modern practice, however, is to assign the traditional names based on the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
month when the full moon falls. This method frequently results in the same name as the older method would, and is far more convenient to use.
The following table gives the traditional English names for each month's full moon, the names given by Algonquian peoples
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
in the northern and eastern United States, other common names, and Hindu and Sinhala names. Note that purnima or pornima is Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
for full moon, which has also become the Malay word for full moon purnama. Full moon days are sacred according to Buddhist tradition and called Poya
Poya
Poya or Poya Day is the name given to a Buddhist public holiday in Sri Lanka which occurs every full moon day. The Full moon is important to Buddhists all around the world, who have adopted the Lunar Calendar for their religious observances...
in Sinhala, the dominant language of the Buddhist majority of Sri Lanka.
| Positional name | Associated Month | English names | Algonquian names | Other names used | Hindu names | Sinhala (Buddhist) names |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Solstice Winter solstice Winter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film... |
||||||
| Early Winter | January | Old Moon | Wolf Moon | Moon After Yule Yule Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January... , Ice Moon |
Paush Poornima | Duruthu Poya |
| Mid Winter | February | Wolf Moon | Snow Moon | Hunger Moon, Storm Moon Storm moon A Storm moon is, according to weather folklore, the moon which occurs in March during shifting weather patterns in the northern hemisphere. It is also called seed moon, moon of winds, crow moon, and moon of the snow-blind.-Other names:... , Candles Moon |
Magh Poornima | Navam Poya |
| Late Winter | March | Lenten Moon | Worm Moon | Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sugar Moon, Sap Moon, Chaste Moon, Death Moon | basanta (spring) purnima, dol purnima (holi) | Medin Poya |
| Vernal Equinox | ||||||
| Early Spring | April | Egg Moon | Pink Moon | Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Seed Moon, Waking Moon | Hanuman Hanuman Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the... Jayanti |
Bak Poya |
| Mid Spring | May | Milk Moon | Flower Moon | Corn Planting Moon, Corn Moon, Hare's Moon | Buddha Poornima Vesak Vesākha is a holiday observed traditionally by Buddhists in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, and Indonesia... |
Vesak Vesak Vesākha is a holiday observed traditionally by Buddhists in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the South East Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, and Indonesia... Poya |
| Late Spring | June | Flower Moon | Strawberry Moon | Honey Moon, Rose Moon, Hot Moon, Planting Moon | Wat Poornima | Poson Poya |
| Summer Solstice Summer solstice The summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also... |
||||||
| Early Summer | July | Hay Moon | Buck Moon | Thunder Moon, Mead Moon | Guru Purnima Guru Purnima Guru Purnima is a festival traditionally celebrated by Hindus and Buddhists.On this day, disciples offer puja or pay respect to their Guru . It falls on the day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh of the Shaka Samvat, Indian national calendar and Hindu calendar... |
Esala Poya |
| Mid Summer | August | Grain Moon | Sturgeon Moon | Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, Lightning Moon, Dog Moon | Narali Poornima, Raksha bandhan | Nikini Poya |
| Late Summer | September | Fruit Moon | Harvest Moon Harvest Moon A harvest moon is the full moon that appears nearest to the autumnal equinox.Harvest moon may also refer to:*Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Harvest Moon Festival*Harvest Moon is an 1992 album , by Neil Young... |
Corn Moon, Barley Moon | Bhadrapad Bhaadra Bhaadra or Bhadrapada is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar , Bhaadra is the sixth month of the year, beginning on 23 August and ending on 22 September. Known as Purattaasi, it is the sixth month of the Tamil solar calendar... Poornima |
Binara Poya |
| Autumnal Equinox | ||||||
| Early Fall | October | Harvest Moon Harvest Moon A harvest moon is the full moon that appears nearest to the autumnal equinox.Harvest moon may also refer to:*Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Harvest Moon Festival*Harvest Moon is an 1992 album , by Neil Young... |
Hunter's Moon Hunter's moon The hunter's moon—also known as blood moon or sanguine moon—is the first full moon after the harvest moon, which is the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox.- Background :... |
Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, Blood Moon | Kojagiri or Sharad Purnima, lakshmi Lakshmi Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments... puja |
Vap Poya |
| Mid Fall | November | Hunter's Moon Hunter's moon The hunter's moon—also known as blood moon or sanguine moon—is the first full moon after the harvest moon, which is the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox.- Background :... |
Beaver moon | Frost Moon, Snow Moon | Kartik Poornima Kartik Poornima Kartik Poornima is a Hindu holy day celebrated on the full moon day or the fifteenth lunar day of Kartik . It is also known as Tripuri poornima and Tripurari Poornima. It is sometimes called Deva-Diwali or Deva-Deppawali - the festival of lights of the gods... |
Il Poya |
| Late Fall | December | Oak Moon | Cold Moon | Frost Moon, Winter Moon, Long Night's Moon, Moon Before Yule Yule Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January... |
Margashirsha Poornima | Unduvap Poya |
The blue moon
The term "blue moonBlue moon
A blue moon can refer to the third full moon in a season with four full moons. Most years have twelve full moons that occur approximately monthly. In addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains roughly eleven days more than the lunar year of 12 lunations...
" traditionally referred to an extra moon in a season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
: if a season had four full moons (rather than the more common three), then the third of the four moons was known as a blue moon.
A mistaken definition, that the second full moon in a calendar month is known as a blue moon, became common in parts of the U.S. during the second half of the twentieth century due to a misinterpretation of the Maine Farmers' Almanac in the March 1946 Sky & Telescope
Sky & Telescope
Sky & Telescope is a monthly American magazine covering all aspects of amateur astronomy, including the following:*current events in astronomy and space exploration;*events in the amateur astronomy community;...
magazine; this was corrected in 1999.
Since there are on the average 12.37 full moons in a year, a "blue moon" must occur on the average every 2.7 years (7 times in the 19 years of the Metonic cycle
Metonic cycle
In astronomy and calendar studies, the Metonic cycle or Enneadecaeteris is a period of very close to 19 years which is remarkable for being very nearly a common multiple of the solar year and the synodic month...
), by either definition.
See also
- Lunar phaseLunar phaseA lunar phase or phase of the moon is the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun...
- Lunar eclipseLunar eclipseA lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a...
- MonthMonthA month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which was first used and invented in Mesopotamia, as a natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates. The traditional concept arose with the cycle of moon phases; such months are synodic months and last approximately...
- Near side of the MoonNear side of the MoonThe near side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that is permanently turned towards the Earth, whereas the opposite side is the far side of the Moon. Only one side of the Moon is visible from Earth because the Moon rotates about its spin axis at the same rate that the Moon orbits the Earth, a...
- New moonNew moonIn astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
- Orbit of the Moon