It is easy to take many things in life for granted, and I'm certainly guilty of that is many ways. As I deepen more I know that details are important and that everything happens for a reason. We all know the moon is responsible for the changing tides on Earth but many know little more than that. It isn't about the knowledge, it's more about awareness and appreciation.
Likewise, between the full moon and the new moon when only half of the moon appears illuminated from our perspective, we are at the third quarter of the cycle. The terms chosen for these major phases represent the position in the cycle not what it looks like. There are another four minor phases of the moon cycle when the moon has an intermediate shape between those listed above. The diagram below shows the complete cycle with all eight phases. Unlike the four major phases mentioned above that occur at a specific time (moment) on a specific date each cycle, the four intermediate phases occupy a period of time between the major phases. For example, the first minor phase after the new moon is called the waxing crescent and is the whole period from just after the new moon till just before the first quarter. In other words, when the moon appears to be illuminated anywhere between 0.1% and 49.9%. The term crescent is obvious and the term waxing means increasing, as in, increasing the amount seen to be illuminated by the sun. The moon is waxing between the new moon and the full moon.
Between the first quarter and the full moon the name changes to waxing gibbous as the moon no longer appears to be crescent shaped. The term gibbous means convex, humped, or bulging in shape. After the full moon the area of illumination starts to decrease and the preface waning is used before both gibbous and crescent shapes as shown in the diagram above. For reference I use a website and app called timeanddate.com which can be customised for your location and gives very accurate data and is full of interesting information.
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AuthorI love to understand things, how they work, why they happen - I'm always learning and keen to investigate... Archives
August 2023
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