The full moon, as observed from Earth.

Composite image of the Moon as taken by the Galileo spacecraft on 7 December 1992. Galileo was an Unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the Planet Jupiter and its moons Named after the Astronomer Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The color is 'enhanced' in the sense that the CCD camera is sensitive to near infrared wavelengths of light beyond human vision.

Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. Lunar phase (or Moon phase refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer usually on Earth EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun. Opposition is a term used in Positional astronomy and Astrology to indicate when one celestial body is on the opposite side of the sky when viewed from ^[1] At this time, as seen by viewers on Earth, the hemisphere of the Moon that is facing the earth (the near side) is fully illuminated by the Sun and appears round. 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 during a full moon is the opposite hemisphere of the Moon, which is not visible from Earth (the far side), completely unilluminated. Far Side of the Moon, in original French, La face cachée de la lune, is a 2003 film by Robert Lepage.

As a lunar month is about 29. In Lunar calendars a lunar month is the time between two identical syzygies ( New moons or Full moons. 531 days long, the full moon falls on either the 14th or 15th of the lunar month in those calendars that start the month on the new moon. In any event, the period between full moons can be either 29 or 30 days.

Characteristics

Although it takes only 27. 322 days on average for the Moon to complete one orbit around the Earth (the sidereal month), as a result of the Earth's orbital motion around the Sun it requires about two additional days for the Earth, Moon, and Sun to acquire the same relative geometry. In Physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of one object around a point or another body for example the gravitational orbit of a planet around a star The month is a unit of Time, used with Calendars which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon; So on average the number of days between two similar phases (e. Lunar phase (or Moon phase refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer usually on Earth g. , between one full moon and the next full moon) is about 29. 531 days. This period is referred to as a lunation, lunar month, or synodic month. Lunation is the mean time for one Lunar phase cycle (ie the Synodic period of the Moon) In Lunar calendars a lunar month is the time between two identical syzygies ( New moons or Full moons. The month is a unit of Time, used with Calendars which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon; The actual number of days in a lunation can vary from about 29. 272 to 29. 833 because the velocities of the Moon and of the Earth are not constant in their elliptic orbits, and because of gravitational interactions with other bodies in the solar system. The Solar System consists of the Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by Gravity. ^[2][3]

Because the month of February has only 28 days (or 29 in a leap year), there have been a few occasions during which this month has been without a full moon. A leap year (or intercalary year) is a year containing one or more extra days (or in the case of Lunisolar calendars an extra month in order to keep the In particular, there was no full moon in February of 1866, 1885, 1915, 1934, 1961 or 1999. ^[4] There will be no full moon during February of 2018. ^[5] In these years, there were instead either two full moons in January, March, or both (as in 1999). In the leap year of 1972, there was a full moon on February 29. Leap years Although the modern calendar counts a year as 365 days a complete revolution around the sun takes approximately 365 days and 6 hours The previous February 29 full moon occurred in 1820 and before that in 1752.

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). The naked eye is a Figure of speech referring to human Visual perception that is unaided by enhancing equipment such as a Telescope or Its absolute maximum size occurs at the moment expansion has stopped, and when graphed, its tangent slope is zero. In Mathematics and Computer science, a graph is the basic object of study in Graph theory. For the tangent function see Trigonometric functions. For other uses see Tangent (disambiguation. Slope is used to describe the steepness incline gradient or grade of a straight line. 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 almanacs list full moons not just by date, but by their exact time as well (usually in GMT). ALMANAC is the name of a major Breast cancer trial The Acronym stands for "Axillary Lymphatic Mapping Against Nodal Axillary Clearance Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT) is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London Typical monthly calendars which include phases of the moon may be off by one day if intended for use in a different time zone. The word Calendar consist of two words 1 Cal ( in Pashto means Year in Hindi and Persian is Sal- also means Year

The date and time of a specific full moon (assuming a circular orbit) can be calculated from the equation:^[6]

where D is the number of days since 1 January 2000 00:00:00 UTC, and N is an integer number of full moons, starting with 0 for the first full moon of the year 2000. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. 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. 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. The month is a unit of Time, used with Calendars which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon; The full moon cycle is a cycle of about 14 Lunations over which Full moons vary in apparent size and age (time since New moon)

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. Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study

Folklore

See also: The Moon in mythology and Lunar effect

Full Moons are traditionally associated with temporal insomnia, insanity (hence the terms lunacy and lunatic) and various "magical phenomena" such as lycanthropy. The Moon has figured in many mythologies often paired or contrasted with the Sun. The lunar effect is a Theory which overlaps into Sociology, Psychology and Physiology suggesting that there is correlation between specific Insomnia is a symptom of a sleeping disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity Traditionally insanity or madness is the behaviour whereby a person flouts societal norms and may become a danger to himself and others Psychologists, however, have found that there is no strong evidence for effects on human behavior around the time of a full moon. ^[7] They find that studies are generally not consistent, with some showing a positive effect and others showing a negative effect. In one instance, the December 23, 2000 issue of the British Medical Journal published two studies on dog bite admission to hospitals in England and Australia. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. 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. Bradford Royal infirmary is a large teaching Hospital in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and is operated by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS trust

Many neopagans hold a monthly ritual called an Esbat at each full moon, while some people practicing traditional Chinese religions prepare their ritual offerings to their ancestors and deities on every full and new moon. Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical An esbat is a ritual observance of the Full moon within Wicca and other Wiccan-influenced forms of Neopaganism.

Calendars

The Hindu, Thai, Hebrew, Islamic, Tibetan, Mayan, Neo-pagan, Celtic, and the traditional Chinese calendars are all based on the phases of the Moon. 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 The Thai lunar calendar ( Thai: ปฏิทินจันทรคติ Patitin Chantarakati) (literally Against-the-Sun Moon-Ways) is Thailand The Hebrew calendar (הלוח העברי ha'luach ha'ivri) or Jewish calendar is a Lunisolar calendar used by Jews for predominantly religious The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar ( Arabic: التقويم الهجري at-taqwīm al-hijrī; Persian: تقویم هجری قمری ‎ 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 The Maya calendar is a system of distinct Calendars and Almanacs used by the Maya civilization of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and by The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, incorporating elements of a Lunar calendar with those of a Solar calendar. None of these calendars, however, begin their months with the full moon. In the Chinese, Jewish, Thai and some Hindu calendars, the full moon always occurs in the middle of a month. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, incorporating elements of a Lunar calendar with those of a Solar calendar. The Hebrew calendar (הלוח העברי ha'luach ha'ivri) or Jewish calendar is a Lunisolar calendar used by Jews for predominantly religious The Thai lunar calendar ( Thai: ปฏิทินจันทรคติ Patitin Chantarakati) (literally Against-the-Sun Moon-Ways) is Thailand 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 The month is a unit of Time, used with Calendars which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon; ^[8][9]

In the Gregorian calendar, the date of Easter is the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon which occurs after the ecclesiastical vernal equinox. The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today Computus ( Latin for Computation) is the Calculation of the date of Easter in the Christian calendar. In this context, the date of the full moon (together with the date of the vernal equinox) is calculated not according to actual astronomical phenomena, but according to a calendrical approximation of these phenomena.

In the Chinese calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the full moon of the eighth month, whereas the Lantern Festival falls on the first full moon of the year. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, or in Chinese Zhongqiu Jie ( is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese The Lantern Festival a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the Lunar year in the Chinese calendar.

Full moon names

The full moon, as observed from Earth on a clear day.

It is traditional to assign special names to each full moon of the year, although the rule for determining which name will be assigned has changed over time (see article at blue moon). This article is about the astronomical phenomenon For other uses see Blue Moon (disambiguation. 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 21st, and the Lenten Moon would be the last moon on or before March 21st. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Modern practice, however, is to assign the traditional names based on the Gregorian calendar month in which the full moon falls. The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today 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 Native Americans in the northern and eastern United States, other common names, and Hindu names. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States ^[10] Note that purnima or pornima is Hindi for full moon, which has also become the Malay word for full moon purnama.

The blue moon

Main article: Blue moon

The origin of the folkloric term "blue moon" is complicated, because its meaning has changed over time. Yule is a winter festival historically celebrated primarily in northern Europe but now celebrated in many other countries in various forms Holi ( or language|Bhojpuri]] also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hindu spring Festival observed in India, Hanuman (हनुमत् sa-Latn '''Hanumat''' nominative singular sa हनुमान् sa-Latn ''Hanumān'' known also as ' Anjaneya' (son of Anjana is one of the Vesak is an annual holiday observed by practicing Buddhists in many Asian countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, A guru (गुरु গুরু is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge wisdom and authority in a certain area and uses it to guide others For the Telugu film see Rakhi (film. For the Bollywood actress see Raakhee Gulzar. The harvest moon is the moon at and about the period of fullness that is nearest to the autumnal equinox Bhaadra or Bhadrapada ( Hindi: भादों bhaado or भाद्रपद bhaadrapad) is a Month of the Hindu The harvest moon is the moon at and about the period of fullness that is nearest to the autumnal equinox 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 The Sharad Purnima or Kojaagari Purnima is a Harvest festival celebrated on the Full moon day of the Hindu Lunar month of Ashwin Sharad is the word for early Autumn in the Hindu calendar. It roughly corresponds to the Western months of October and November 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 Yule is a winter festival historically celebrated primarily in northern Europe but now celebrated in many other countries in various forms Agrahayana ( Hindi: अगहन agahan) is a Month of the Hindu calendar. This article is about the astronomical phenomenon For other uses see Blue Moon (disambiguation. This article is about the astronomical phenomenon For other uses see Blue Moon (disambiguation. Modern practice is to name a full moon a blue moon if it is the second of two full moons to occur in the same calendar month. The original meaning of blue moon was the third full moon in a season when there were four full moons in that season.

See also

• Lunar phase
• Lunar eclipse
• Month
• Near side of the Moon
• New moon
• Orbit of the Moon

References

External links

• U.S. Naval Observatory record of moon phases by year