Tips and tricks to help you admire the moon in all its phases

The moon is the constant companion of the earth. It’s up there in the sky, transforming from a curved strip to a disk and back again. Some nights it goes away. We sing songs about it and send spacecraft and astronauts to visit it. If you enjoy stargazing, make the moon part of your viewing routine. Here’s what you need to know to get the most out of your moon watching.

Where did the moon come from?

The moon is our only natural satellite. We may pick up a temporary mini-moon here and there, but the moon is Earth’s ride or die. Scientists have a few thoughts about how the moon formed, but there is a popular consensus that it was created billions of years ago when an object the size of Mars collided with Earth. The debris from the impact coalesced into the moon. A 2022 study suggests the moon may have done this formed within hours after the impact.

The moon is about 150,000 miles away from Earth. That’s enough room for 30 Earths in between. Sometimes he nestles a little closer, and sometimes he is a little further away.

What are the phases of the moon?

When you look at the moon, you may think of how it shines like a lantern in the sky. In reality, the moon does not generate light; it reflects sunlight. There are eight phases of the moon during a 29.5-day cycle: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing moon, full moon, waning crescent, third quarter, and waning crescent.

The phases exist because of the way the moon orbits the Earth.

‘Sunlight illuminates half the Earth and half the moon at all times’ says NASA in an explainer. “But as the moon orbits the Earth, at some points in its orbit we can see the sunlit part of the moon from Earth, and at other points we can see only the parts of the moon that are in shadow.”

A new moon is a shadow moon, making it appear as if the moon has disappeared. A waxing crescent moon is the fingernail shape of brightness that occurs as the moon grows fuller. The first quarter is when the moon is a quarter of the way through its orbit around the Earth, even though the moon appears half in shadow and half in light.

Waxing the gibbous comes next. The word “gibbous” has Latin origins and refers to the “humped” shape of the illuminated part of the moon. Next comes the triumphant full moon when the entire face is illuminated thanks to the position of the sun opposite the moon with the Earth in the center.

The cycle continues after the full moon. Waning moon means the sunlit part of the moon is receding, but it still has that bumpy shape. The third quarter is a return to the crescent appearance, but it means the moon is three-quarters of the way into its orbit around the Earth. The waning crescent moon is again the fingernail, but the illuminated part of the moon becomes smaller and smaller before performing the short vanishing act of becoming a new moon.

How often do full moons occur?

The moon’s phase cycle does not exactly match our calendar dates on Earth, so the timing of full moons can shift. During each 29.5 day cycle you get one full moon. Most years this means we get 12 full moons. However, approximately every 2.5 years we get 13 full moons in a calendar year.

Where do the names of the full moon come from?

The full moons that occur throughout the year have colorful names. In the US you hear about the wolf moon, worm moon, flower moon, strawberry moon and hunter moon, among other things. The Old Farmers’ Almanac is a source for many of these names. The Almanac is a publication of weather forecasts, planting guides and astronomy dating back to the late 18th century. There is now a digital version. “The moon names we use in The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from Native American, Colonial American, or other traditional North American sources passed down from generation to generation,” says the almanac.

Full moon names differ depending on cultures, locations and traditions. For example, March’s full moon is often called the worm moon. The almanac traces this name to the warming of the soil in the spring, when earthworms become active again after months of cold. Other names for this moon are the eagle moon, goose moon, snow crust moon or sugar moon. It’s a poetic way to think about how full moons tie in with the changing seasons throughout the year.

What is a supermoon?

A supermoon is a more subtle phenomenon than the name suggests. It happens when the moon is at or near its closest point in its orbit around Earth during a full moon – a position called perigee. At its furthest, the moon is about 250,000 miles from Earth. At perigee it is about 360,000 kilometers away, says NASA. A supermoon may seem bigger and brighter than a regular full moon, but it won’t catch your eye like a large pizza pie.

Expect three to four supermoons per year. “Supermoon” is an unofficial term, but it sure sounds cool to say something like “super harvest blood moon.”

What is a blue moon?

The most common definition of a blue moon is the second moon in a month with two full moons. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean the moon looks like a cosmic blueberry. The term ‘once in a blue moon’ is used as a wistful expression of something that rarely happens, but you can expect a blue moon to rotate every two to three years. If you won the lottery once in a blue moon, you would be filthy rich. Fun fact: February is too short a month to ever have a blue moon. The next blue moon appears on May 31, 2026, so mark your calendars.

What is a lunar eclipse?

For a lunar eclipse you need a full moon. You also need a specific set of conditions in which the Earth casts its shadow on the moon, plunging it into complete or partial darkness. For this to happen, the sun must be on the opposite side of our planet from the moon. This is how we also get a full moon. Normally we get a few lunar eclipses every year. We don’t get one every month, thanks to a quirk in the moon’s orbit that allows it to avoid Earth’s shadow.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the entire moon is covered by the Earth’s shadow. A partial lunar eclipse means that only part of the moon is in shadow.

A lunar eclipse is also called a blood moon. That descriptive term came about because the moon can take on a reddish hue during a solar eclipse due to the way sunlight filters through Earth’s atmosphere.

NASA holds one list of lunar eclipses with the dates, types and geographical visibility areas. The next lunar eclipse is a total solar eclipse that will take place on March 14, 2025. It will be visible from parts of the Pacific Ocean, the Americas, Europe and Africa. A second total lunar eclipse is planned for September 7, benefiting Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Does a full moon affect the tides?

Tides are complex and the moon plays an important role in how they work. The pairs of the Earth and the Moon dancing means that the two bodies are reacting to each other. The moon’s gravity causes our planet’s masses of ocean water to bulge toward both the moon and the far side of the planet – like a squished ball. This is called the tidal force.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers a simplified explanation of what happens to the moon and the water bulges: “As the Earth rotates, your part of the Earth passes through both bulges every day. If you are in one of the bulges, you experience a high tide. If you are not in one of the bulges, you experience low tide.” Landmasses, weather, wind and the sun’s gravity also affect the tides and how extreme the tides are.

Both full and new moons influence the tides. The full moon occurs when the moon is opposite the sun with the Earth in the center. A new moon occurs when the moon is between the Earth and the sun.

“In both cases, the Sun’s gravity ‘adds’ to the Moon’s gravity on Earth, causing the oceans to bulge a little more than normal,” says NOAA. “This means the high tide is slightly higher and the low tide is slightly lower than average.”

The phenomenon is known as spring tide. It has nothing to do with the season, but instead refers to the idea of ​​blossoming.

Is there a dark side of the moon?

Pink Floyd’s music might make you believe that the side of the moon we can’t see is always in the shadows, but that’s not the case. There may be dark parts of the moon where the sun doesn’t shine, but there is no permanent dark side. The same side of the moon always faces Earth, which is why we see the same craters and landscapes: the face of the ‘man in the moon’. The far side is more accurately described as the far side of the moon rather than the dark side.

Moongazing tips

Enjoy a full moon: There is a certain time when the moon is at its fullest. That may or may not be a good time to see it. But don’t worry, the moon usually appears full for a day either side of the actual full moon, so enjoy the view.

Use binoculars: You don’t need a high-end telescope to get a closer look at the moon. Pull out a decent pair of binoculars and anchor your elbows to a wall or other sturdy spot to reduce wobble. You may be surprised at the amount of detail you see as craters, highlands (bright areas), and lunar seas (dark areas) emerge. A full moon is a particularly good time to try this.

Check out Timeanddate.com’s moon guides: Timesdate.com gives you detailed information about the timing of the full moon, when and where to observe a lunar eclipse, and future dates for events such as blue moons. It’s especially useful for dialing in moonrise and moonset times for your location.

Catch a lunar eclipse: Unlike solar eclipses, you don’t need special glasses to observe a lunar eclipse. Just go and have a look. The path of the eclipse may not correspond to where you are, so keep an eye on live streams to get in on the action even if the eclipse isn’t overhead.