Moon Names by Month, Phases of the Moon
About the Moon, Our Lunar Neighbor
The moon is our closest neighbor We fascinate and romanticize over it. Certainly, we know a lot about it. We name the full moon each month. The phases of the moon are well documented. We know how how long the lunar cycle lasts, too.
The Full Moon each month is given a name representative of the season. Sometimes a particular moon has multiple names. The names are given to the period of the Full Moon. Listed below is the name of each moon.
Some terms you should know:
Waxing means the moon is getting bigger.
Waning means the lighted portion of the moon is declining or getting smaller.
How Long is the Lunar Cycle?
Most of us were taught that the lunar cycle was 28 days. In actuality, it is less than that. As a matter of fact, the length doesn’t even round to 28 days. So, let’s set the record straight.
The lunar cycle is 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes.
Moon Names by Month
January | Old Moon, Moon after Yule, Storm Moon |
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February | Hunger Moon, Snow Moon, Chaste Moon, Wolf Moon |
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March | Crow Moon, Lenten Moon, Sap Moon, Seed Moon |
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April | Egg Moon, Grass Moon, Hare Moon |
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May | Planter’s Moon, Milk Moon |
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June | Flower Moon, Rose Moon, Strawberry Moon, Honey Moon |
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July | Hay Moon, Thunder Moon, Ripe Corn Moon |
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August | Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon, Barley Moon, Fruit Moon |
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September | Harvest Moon, Blood Moon, Fruit Moon |
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October | Hunter’s Moon |
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November | Beaver Moon, Frosty Moon |
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December | Yule Moon |
Phases of the Moon
Each cycle, the moon goes through eight phases. The illumination moves from right to left.
New – The moon is not visible during this phase. sometimes you can see it as a very faint shadow.
Waxing Crescent – In this phase, we see a thin crescent of light on the right.
First Quarter or Half Moon – The moon is visible as half of it that we see is light.
Waxing Gibbous – This is the period between a half moon and a full moon. Three-quarters of the moon we see is lighted by the sun.
Full: The entire visible moon is illuminated.
Waning Gibbous – During this phase, the visible portion of the moon is decreasing. It is between half and full.
Third Quarter – In the phase, the moon is half lit. The left side is illuminated, and the right side is in darkness.
Waning Crescent – In the final phase,
Moon Names - Interesting Links
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