The moon shows its full face to Earth once a month. In fact, the same side of the moon always faces the planet, but part of it is in shadow. Only when the moon, Earth and the sun are perfectly aligned is the moon 100 percent full, and that alignment produces a. And sometimes — once in a — the moon is full twice in a month or four times in a season, depending on which definition you prefer. The January full moon is often known as the Full Wolf Moon, though like all full moons on the calendar it has several other names in different cultures. The names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. The lists several names that are commonly used in the United States. The almanac explains that there were some variations in the moon names, but in general, the same ones were used among the Algonquin tribes from New England on west to Lake Superior. European settlers followed their own customs and created some of their own names. He also lists them on his website. Amateur astronomer Keith Cooley has a brief list of theincluding Chinese and Celtic, on his website. For example: Chinese moon names Month Name Month Name January Holiday Moon July Hungry Ghost Moon February Budding Moon August Harvest Moon March Sleepy Moon September Chrysanthemum Moon April Peony Moon October Kindly Moon May Dragon Moon November White Moon June Lotus Moon December Bitter Moon Full 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. At least, that's how it works in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are switched, the Harvest Moon occurs in March and the Cold Moon is in June. According tothese are common names for full moons south of the equator. 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. On average, the moon july 27 2019 rises about 50 minutes later each day, which means sometimes it rises during daylight and other times during nighttime hours. A few days later, as the moon moves around Earth, the side we can see gradually becomes more illuminated by direct sunlight. This thin sliver is called the waxing crescent. A week after 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. A few days later, the area of illumination continues to increase. More than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight. This phase is called a waxing gibbous moon. When the moon has moved 180 degrees from its new moon position, the sun, Earth and the moon form a line. Next, the moon moves until more than half of its face appears to be getting sunlight, but the amount is decreasing. This is the waning gibbous phase. Days later, moon july 27 2019 moon has moved another quarter of the way around Earth, to the third quarter position. The sun's light is now shining on the other half of the visible face of the moon. Next, the moon moves into the waning crescent phase as less than half of its face moon july 27 2019 to be getting sunlight, and the amount is decreasing. Finally, the moon moves back to its new moon starting position. Usually the moon passes above or below the sun from our vantage point, but occasionally it passes right in front of the sun, and we get an. Each full moon is calculated to occur at an exact moment, which may or may not be near the time the moon rises where you are. In fact, the moon will often look roughly the same on two consecutive nights surrounding the full moon. He manages articles that explain scientific concepts, describe natural phenomena and define technical terms. Previously, he was a Technology Editor at The New York Times and the Online Editor at the Des Moines Register. He was also a copy editor at several newspapers. Before joining Purch, Tim was a developmental editor at the Hazelden Foundation. He has a journalism degree from the University of Kansas. Follow Tim on and Tim Sharp, Reference Editor on.
