| 1 |
The NEW MOON cannot be seen from the Earth. This
is a Sun-Moon conjunction. Because the Sun cannot illuminate the
Moon, it appears like there is no moon. This is a time of fresh
energy, seed planting and the beginning of new ventures and impulses.
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| 2 |
The WAXING CRESCENT occurs when less than half the Moon is visible
and looks like a like a fine crescent that gets a little fatter
every day. In the Southern Hemisphere the waxing crescent is illuminated
on its left or western side ... in the Northern Hemisphere it will
be the right side that is visible. This has been likened to the
small sprout that first shows once the seed has broken through
the moist darkness and aspires upwards.
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| 3 |
At FIRST QUARTER we see half of the Moon. It rises around midday
and sets around midnight. Now the western (left) half of the
Moon is illuminated by sunlight. The first quarter is said to signify
the growth phase of the small plant. As the body of the plant grows
stronger, leaves form and the roots go deeper.
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| 4 |
The WAXING GIBBOUS shows more than half the Moon with just a
bit missing on the eastern or right side. (Southern Hemisphere).
This symbolises the bud of the new plant ready to burst open.
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| 5 |
The FULL MOON rises at Sunset and sets at Sunrise. We see the entire
sunlit Moon. This is a Sun-Moon opposition. The full Moon
signifies the completion of a cycle, it is ripeness, fullness.
This is when the flower or blossom opens to share its magnificence
with others.
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| 6 |
The WANING GIBBOUS is also called the Disseminating Moon. More
than half the Moon is still illuminated, with just a tiny bit missing
on the western or left side of the Moon in the Southern Hemisphere.
The open blossom has now yielded fruit.
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| 7 |
The LAST QUARTER (Third) shows half of the Moon. It rises about
midnight and sets around midday. The Sun squares the moon and the
eastern half of the Moon is visible. This is harvest time and the
start of regeneration.
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| 8 |
The WANING CRESCENT is also called the Balsamic Moon. Now only
a very small crescent can be seen in the eastern (right side) of
the Moon. This is called the ’balsamic’ Moon when through
composting essential nutrients are released into the soil to provide
nourishment for the new generation.
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MOON STATISTICS
Average Distance from the Earth: 384 400 km (0.0026 AU)
Size (Equatorial Diameter): 3475.6 km (0.272 x that of Earth)
Mass: 7.35 x 1021 kg (0.0012 x that of Earth)
Rotation Period: 27.3 days
Temperature: 117°C (sunlit side); -163°C (dark side)
Gravity: 1.7 m/s2 (0.17 x that of Earth)
The Lunar Month
A month is the time taken for the Moon to make one apparent orbit
of the Earth, travelling at an average speed of 3680 km/h.
It can be measured in the following three ways:
Synodic Month 29.5 days: This is the time between successive
New Moons and is the basis for our calendar month.
Sidereal Month 27.3 days: This is the time taken for the Moon
to return to the same spot against the background stars. It so
happens that this is the same as the Moon's rotation period,
which means that the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth.
Anomalistic Month 27.55 days: This is the time between successive
perigees or closest approaches to the Earth.
Various sources, with thanks. |
MOON
PHASES - how the Moon moves around the Earth. 
