The moon has always had an aura of mystery and mysticism. And I recently became interested in the elements of astronomical calculations. And somehow these two facts coincided :)
What is the phase of the moon?
In fact, this is the current state of the triangle of three bodies - the Earth, the Moon and the Sun. The way the Moon is illuminated in relation to an observer on Earth determines the current lunar phase. The Moon moves in its orbit around the Earth with an orbital period of 27.554550 days, which is 27 days 13 hours 18 minutes 33.1 seconds. But while the night wanderer makes a full revolution around our planet, it, in turn, manages to go a long way. Because of this, the Moon, having made a revolution, appears to the observer in a new phase.
To catch up with the Sun and appear in the same phase, the Moon needs almost two Earth days. This period between two identical phases of the moon is called synodic month. Its period is 29.5305882 days or approximately 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes 2 seconds.
Determining the current lunar phase.
To determine the phase of the Moon, you need to take a reference point, i.e. some point in time with a known phase of the moon. Then the phases of the Moon will repeat with a known period and they can be calculated. Seems pretty simple?
But many nuances remain.
Actually, the synodic month is an average value. Its length can vary within a range of ± 13 hours. The main contribution to this deviation is made by the shape of the Moon's orbit. It is elliptical in nature, and the Lena-Earth distance varies from 356,400 km to 406,700 km. For example, in the current month (November 2015) the length of the synodic month was 29.73 days. Of course, 13 hours is not a big amount compared to 29.53 days - the error in determining the phase will be no more than ±1.85%. In general, here, for the accuracy of the calculation, you will have to monitor the movement of the apogee of the Moon, which shifts with a period of 8.85 Earth years.
Secondly, since we are tied to a specific earthly time (we have chosen a reference point), then to determine the phase of the Moon it is necessary to clarify in which time zone the observer is located. This clarification has approximately the same magnitude as the previous amendment. The maximum error in indicating the moon phase without specifying the observer's time zone is up to ±1.6% (12 hours / 29.53 days).
These two contributions are quite significant. There are also contributions of lower orders, but the further we move away from the “reference point”, the greater the error will accumulate during the calculation.
I found sets of pictures demonstrating the phase of the moon, but the appearance of the moon, the inclination of its crescent to the horizon depends on the location of the observer, his geographic latitude. In the northern hemisphere, the waxing moon is turned with its crescent so that it forms the letter “P” if a stick is added to it. In the region of equatorial latitudes, the sickle will lie on its side. And in the southern hemisphere of the Earth, an observer will see a waxing moon in the shape of the letter “C”.
The symbol of the 17th lunar day is grapes, and it, in turn, personifies the symbol of fertility. In the Eastern tradition, the 17th Lunar Day is dedicated to Shakti - the goddess of femininity. These are some of the great days to be. On this day, the transformation of feminine energy occurs. The 17th Lunar Day is very well suited for feasts and holidays, and various entertainment events. Today people are becoming very loving and emotional.
This is a day of harmony, love, love of life and fun. Radiate the energy of joy and celebration and you will definitely be attracted to success, luck and luck. Because what we emit, we usually attract.
Dreams today do not carry any valuable information.
Love and relationships on the 17th Lunar Day
Today is a very suitable day for marriage, there is an old sign that those married on this day will live happily ever after, like in a fairy tale. A wonderful day for romantic dates; there is a high chance of falling in love at first sight.
Housework
Health
Today, the skin, eyes, endocrine and nervous systems, kidneys and lower back are vulnerable. The seventeenth day of the Lunar calendar is well suited for hydrotherapy, cleansing of toxins, self-healing and self-healing of fasting. Today you can safely follow the teachings of alternative medicine, as well as be treated by psychics.
Business and money
A great day for all types of financial matters, but it is recommended to postpone very important matters and issues. Serious negotiations will most likely not work out. The energy of this lunar day is very free, which is not conducive to work matters.
Element: Air.
Afterwards, the Moon begins to wane, turning into its own. This time is most favorable for the realization of the energy that came with the growth of the heavenly body. This phase of the Moon is associated with the air element, and it also has a yellow color. This is the last stage when your plans and ideas will come true as you would like.
You cannot waste this time and waste energy; it is better to use it to achieve your goals, because then you will have to wait quite a long time for a new influx of strength and energy. During this period, a person is in a good positive mood, he is cheerful and cheerful, because the accumulated and not wasted energy asks to come out. We need to give her a way out, and not a simple one, but a directed one. Use your strength to implement your plans, finish all the things you wanted to do, and under no circumstances put it off until later.
MOON IN SCORPIO k 07° 04" 54"
Emotions, feelings, desires intensify. The tendency to hysterics and showdowns may increase. Large and small passions captivate people. A person feels dissatisfied with himself, sees the world in black colors, wants to radically change the environment in one fell swoop. It is dangerous to give in to this destructive desire, since it is caused by dependence on mood swings.
During Scorpio days, a person becomes gloomy, gloomy and irritable. Everything around him makes him nervous because his sensitivity increases. Life appears at its worst. However, there is a certain advantage to this: seeing the bad, we can get rid of it in time.
During this period, self-analysis and consistent correction of character flaws are useful. It is better to put harsh actions and important decisions aside. When a person improves some qualities of his character, the world will seem more friendly and open.
Moon without course (from March 22 21:10 to March 23 5:16)
The term " " refers to the period of the Moon's state when it is between the last major aspect with a planet in the current sign, and the moment of transition into the next sign.
- Do not start new projects, important things with far-reaching plans.
- Avoid important meetings with new people during this period.
- Don't make expensive purchases.
How to use the Moon period without a course
- It's a good time to clear away the rubble and bring order to your desk or home.
- A good time for yoga, meditation or spiritual practices.
- Rest and sleep will quickly restore your strength.
- Fun activities and meetings with friends.
- Good time to travel.
- Strengthened intuition or sixth sense will help in finding unresolved, internal psychological problems. The best time to listen to your inner self.
The moon moves from one phase to the next on average in just over seven days, which is why there are exactly seven days in a week - this is a legacy of the first lunar calendars! True, the first compilers of calendars perceived the phase changes of the Moon as a given of nature, without going into explanations of the reasons for what was observed...
Moon phase now - Java Script widget
You can open in a separate window
Lunar phase calendar for the entire year 2019 on the page
Celestial coordinates of the Moon now:
Equatorial coordinate system
Moon's right ascension α
: 14h 27m
Declination of the Moon δ
: -9° 22’
Ecliptic coordinate system
Ecliptic longitude λ
: 217° 33’
Ecliptic latitude of the Moon β
: 4° 54’
Selenographic parameters of the Moon at the current moment:
Libration of the Moon by longitude L
: 6° 12’
Libration of the Moon by latitude B
: -6° 24’
Fraction of illuminated surface of the Moon: 90.9
%
Moon phase indicator (phase coefficient): 0,59
Coordinates of the point above which the Sun is at its zenith -
subsolar point of the Moon:
longitude of the lunar subsolar point: 331° 18’
latitude of the lunar subsolar point: -1° 30’
Longitude of the point of intersection of the terminator line and the equator: 61° 17’.
Description of the phase states of the Moon
The first ancient lunar calendars were based on observations of the movement of the boundary of light and shadow, called the terminator, across the surface of the Moon. At the same time, four fairly clearly visible visual states were identified, called phase transition points of the Moon - new moon, beginning of the month; first quarter; the full moon and the last quarter also have their own names and transitional stages of the lunar phases:
Table 1. Moon phases. characteristics of phase states from new moon to new moon
| Phase states (stages) of the Moon | View of the Moon | Illumination and configuration | Visibility period | Climax time | Moonrise and moonset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Folk::New Moon, intermoon; birth of the moon; moonless nights. International: |
0-1% - the visible side of the Moon is completely in shadow The Sun, Moon and Earth lined up |
Due to the proximity of the Sun, it is visible only during eclipses | Noon | The moon rises and sets with the sun | |
Folk: New Moon, Novik, newborn Month, sharp-horned Month, early sickle International |
 |
The right side of the lunar disk is illuminated from 1 to 49% Rays: Earth-Moon and Earth-Sun form an acute angle |
From late morning to early evening | Afternoon | The moon rises after the sun with increasing delay |
| First quarter Folk: Half Moon, young Half, Edge International: |
 |
The right half of the lunar disk is illuminated (from 49 to 51%) Rays: Earth-Moon and Earth-Sun form a right angle |
From noon to midnight | Early evening | Moonrise is exactly at noon, Moonset is at midnight |
| Waxing Moon in the second quarter Folk: Full moon, full month, Gone moon International: |
 |
Illuminated area growing on the right side (from 51 to 99% of the visible area of the Moon) Rays: Earth-Moon and Earth-Sun form an obtuse angle |
From afternoon to late night | Early night, late evening in summer | The moon rises in the afternoon, sets in the afternoon |
| Full moon Folk: Full Moon, round Moon, round Moon International: |
 |
Fully illuminated visible circle of the Moon (illuminance between 100 and 99%) Sun, Earth and Moon on the same line (opposition) |
Visible all night (from sunset to sunrise) |
Midnight | The moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise |
| Waning Moon in the third quarter
Folk: Defective Moon, Moon at a loss, pot-bellied month on the wane International: Waning gibbous |
 |
On the left side, the Sun illuminates from 99 to 51% of the visible area of the Moon Rays: Earth-Sun and Earth-Moon form an obtuse angle |
Visible from late evening to early morning | In the second half of the night | The moon rises in the evening with increasing delay and sets in the morning. |
| Third quarter Folk: Last Quarter, Senior Half International: Third quarter |
 |
Exactly half of the Moon's circle on the left side is illuminated (50 ± 1%) Rays: Earth-Sun and Earth-Moon form a right angle |
The moon can be seen after midnight and in the morning | Early morning | Moonrise is exactly at midnight, Moonset is at noon |
| Waning Moon in the last quarter Folk: Old month, old month, defective sickle, decline International: |
 |
The left side of the lunar disk is illuminated from 49 to 1% Rays: Earth-Sun and Earth-Moon form an acute angle |
The moon is visible from the second half of the night until the second half of the day | Morning | The moon rises in the second half of the night, sets in the afternoon |
Folk names for the phases of the Moon are taken from Dahl's dictionary, as well as from everyday speech in the north of the Nizhny Novgorod region.
This collection is expanding, I believe everyone will be interested in messages about other popular names for lunar phases (forum - green flag on the left).
Libration of the Moon
Theoretically, from the statement that the Moon is turned to the Earth with one side, it follows that while we are on the Earth, we can see no more than 50% of its surface. Thanks to libration (the wobble of the Moon visible from the Earth), we can look at its poles, and get a little peek at what’s going on there on its back side; in total, 60% of its surface becomes visible to the eye!
The video image on the left shows the results of a numerical simulation of the librational motion of the Moon. The apparent motion of the Moon, which can be seen by an observer from the surface of the Earth, has been simulated (to enlarge the image, click on it - a new window will open).
As can be seen from the figure, this is a rather complex oscillatory-rotational motion determined by three components: the tilt of the lunar axis + the orbital motion of the Moon + the rotation of the Earth. Due to libration, for an terrestrial observer on the lunar disk only the zenith point of the earth will be stationary, the point above which the earth is visible at the zenith (blue circle in the center of the lunar disk), and the surface of the moon itself is in continuous motion (the libration parameters of the moon correspond approximately to the selenographic ones coordinates of the Earth's zenith point). The lilac continuously moving cross is the “Navel of the Moon”, the intersection point of the prime meridian and the equator with coordinates (0°, 0°). The cruise of the “cross” around the “circle” actually lasts a whole lunar month!
Libration by latitude
Thanks to libration in latitude, we have the opportunity to look in turn at the south and north poles of the Moon - during the librational movement, the Moon seems to either lean towards us or “try to look higher” (Fig. 1). Libration in latitude occurs due to the inclination of the Moon’s rotation axis to the plane of its orbit, which is also superimposed on the inclination of the orbit itself to the ecliptic plane. Total maximum amplitude A can reach 6.68° ( A= 5.145°+1.5424°), at the moment when the Moon is at the perigee point of the orbit at a minimum distance from the Earth.
Sergey Ov
Fig.1. Libration of the Moon. A librational view of the Moon is presented, in which the lunar South Pole and the eastern part of the far side of the Moon are visible (green vertical line).
When you move the cursor, a picture appears with an angle in which the North Pole of the Moon and its inverse western side (behind the white vertical semi-arc) are visible. The blue circle represents the point on the surface of the Moon from which the Earth is visible at its zenith. The lilac cross is a kind of selenographic “Navel of the Moon”, a point with coordinates (0°, 0°). (Traditionally, in everyday life the Tycho crater is considered to be the “Navel of the Moon” (due to visual similarity), but in our picture we have a real selenographic Navel!)
Libration by longitude
Longitude libration allows us to look at the far side of the Moon from the west and east, although just a little on each side (Fig. 1). The optical component of libration in longitude is the result of two phenomena: the unevenness of the orbital motion of the Moon and parallax caused by the daily rotation of the Earth.
During orbital motion, the Moon either accelerates and reaches a maximum speed at perigee of 1.052 km/s, then slows down to a minimum at apogee - 0.995 km/s, while the speed of rotation around its axis remains unchanged. It turns out that at perigee the Moon “does not have time to turn its center towards us” and is forced to show part of its reverse side from the east; at apogee, on the contrary, it seems to rotate faster, “in a hurry,” showing its reverse side from the west. The maximum amplitude of such deviations can reach 7.9°.
The parallactic component of libration arises due to the fact that the Moon and Earth in relation to each other cannot be represented as point bodies. The radius of the Earth (6371 km) is significantly comparable to the distance to the Moon - 384400 km!
An observer located at the equator, at the moment of moonrise, looks at it as if from the side by one degree (for the super Moon: Arcsin(6371/356400)/π*180 = 1.02°).
Isn't it an interesting phenomenon? - It turns out that residents of Moscow and residents of Vladivostok, looking at the Moon at the same moment, see it differently!
Sergey Ov(Seosnews9)
About the Moon and the phases of the moon in V.I. Dahl’s Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language
Moon and. satellite of the earth, a celestial body that circles the earth; month; | sometimes taken as a measure of time of four weeks. On the moon, Cain kills Abel; brother stabs his brother with a pitchfork. A clear, steep-horned moon in winter means cold, in summer it means buckets. A reddish circle near the moon, soon disappearing, towards the bucket. Two such circles, or one dim one, means frost; red, towards the wind; interrupted, to the snow. | Bonfire glow, lightning, any distant or faint shine in the sky. | Moon, meaning tongue, sound, hum, golk, see blow. | hole or pit. Lunar, related to the moon. Moonlight night - light. Lunar month, synodic, lunation w. 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes 3 seconds, a complete revolution of the moon, from new moon to new moon. Lunar year, twelve such months. | ....
Sickle... - ...Moon with a sickle, a narrow notch, a strip, a crescent, a -shaped
Full Full Moon Wed. the time when the moon is in opposition to the sun, when our earth stands between the sun and the moon, which is therefore illuminated in its entire circle, in its entire half; / the very view of a fully illuminated month. After the full moon comes the damage decline, vetukh, month for decay; then the last quarter; there is a new moon, a completely dark, invisible month; there's the first quarter, young month, newborn, young man, newcomer; then cut, profit, profit, and again the full moon./
The moon appears full for 3 days - on the day of the astronomical full moon, the day before the full moon and the day after.
Month When the month is born with its horns down(South), it will be warm in winter and hot in summer; up(on North), cold in winter, windy in summer; the horns are upward, but the lower one is steep, the upper one is sloping, then the first half of the month is cold in winter, windy in summer: if the upper horn is steeper, the lower one is sloped, then the same sign for the second half of the month.
Steep horns of the month - to the bucket; flat - to bad weather; a dim month - to wetness; clear, to dry; in the blue - to rain; in red - towards the wind; with ears - to frost.
The new moon is washed(about the change in weather on the new moon). Epiphany under the full month - to a big spill(perm.). If the month looks around in three days, then it will be all wet, and when it rains for three days, then it will be all stormy(thief.). God crumbles the old month into stars. The month shows how Cain killed Abel with a pitchfork(how a brother stabbed his brother with a pitchfork), spots on the moon. The month has washed, i.e. rain on young trees.
The month is born, young, new month, when the crescent moon appears after the new moon, during the first quarter; month in decline, old, dilapidated month, last quarter, decline.
Is there a crumb of bread over grandma's hut? - month. Who looks at the month(for weather, on the farm), it doesn't knead in the bowl. Look at the month(guess the weather ) - neither reap nor thresh. Look at the month - look into the bins(blank). It shines but doesn’t warm(month), It’s just in vain that he eats God’s bread. No matter how the month shines, it’s still not sunny. Like a new moon: it will appear, but then hide again. What kind of month is this - when it shines and when it doesn’t! The month is in the sky, and the number is in the calendar. Gone like a young month. The red sun would be warm, and the month - as it knows. The sun would shine, but a month would be for nothing. If only a clear month would shine for me, but I would strike the frequent stars with a stake. And the moon shines when there is no sun.
The Russian month will wait(because I fell behind, according to the old reckoning).
The dog barked all night for a month, but the month didn’t even know it.
What else did you want(groom) there is a month in the forehead, but the stars are clear in the back of the head?
Around the clock, not a month; green, not oak; with a tail, not a mouse?(turnip).
Month, month, where have you been? - In the forest. - What did you do? - I tore the tusks. - Where did you put it? - Under the deck. - Who took it? - Rodion. - Get out! horse
Under the bright moon, under the white clouds, under the clear stars etc. fabulous. Monthly, related to the month, lasting a whole month or occurring monthly. Monthly light, Moonlight.
Moon - astronomical characteristics
Characteristics of the motion of the Moon as a rigid body:
The Moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth and revolves around it in an elliptical orbit, with the following parameters:
- semi-major axis: 384 399
km (0.00257 AU);
- eccentricity 0,05490
;
- inclination (towards the ecliptic) 5.145° (min 4.99°, max 5.30°);
- period of rotation of the apses line: 8.8504 years;
- period of revolution of the ascending node: 18.5996 years;
- orbital speed: average 1,023
km/s ( min 0.995 km/s, max 1.052 km/s);
- sidereal period of revolution (by stars) 27,321582
days (27 days 07 hours 43 minutes 06 seconds)
- synodic period of revolution (according to the Sun) 29,530588
days (29 days 12 hours 44 minutes 00 seconds)
Distance from Earth to Moon: generally accepted average 384400
km:
- at perigee: average 363104
km ( min 356400 km, max 370400 km);
- at apogee: average 405696
km (min 404000 km, max 406700 km)
Moon's own orbital period: 27,321661
days (27 days 07 hours 43 minutes 12 seconds).
Lunar axis tilt:
- to the orbital plane: 6.687°,
- to the ecliptic plane: 1.5424°.
Rotational speed of the Moon's surface at the equator: 4.627 m/s.
Characteristics of the Moon as an astronomical object:
- average radius of the Moon: 1737.10 km (0.273 Earth);
- polar compression 0.00125 (equatorial radius 1738.14 km, polar 1735.97 km);
- the circumference of the equator is 10917 km;
- the surface area of the Moon is 3.793·107 km² (0.074 of the Earth’s area);
- estimated volume of the Moon 2.1958·1010 km³ (0.020 of the Earth’s volume):
- mass of the Moon: 7.3477·1022 kg (0.0123 of the mass of the Earth);
- average density: 3.3464 g/cm³;
- free fall acceleration at the equator: 1.62 m/s² (0.165 g);
- first escape velocity: 1,68
km/s;
- second escape velocity: 2.38 km/s;
- Moon albedo 0.12;
- average surface temperature: −53 °C ( min-233°C, max+123°С).
Apparent magnitude from −2.5 to − 12.9 (−12.74 average for a full Moon).
About the browser widget “Moon phase now”
The browser widget “Moon Phase Now” is created based on Java Script; all parameters displayed by the widget are calculated on the user’s side directly in the browser, based on the original time provided by the device.
There are three options for the Moon Photo widget - mini, "Photo of the Moon + informer" - widget and "Photo of the Moon + informer + selenographic parameters" - maxi.
If you do not click the "Update" button, the widget can work offline. Using the browser scale adjustments "Ctrl +" and "Ctrl -" you can arbitrarily change the widget's rendering scale, increasing or decreasing it to the desired size.
When you turn on the modes "Watch" And "Time Machine"
it is necessary to remember that although this does not consume Internet traffic, browser-based online calculations of parameters and phases of the Moon consume energy resources
your device, so you should not enable these modes for long periods of time on battery-powered devices.
Do you want to know what the Moon is like today, in what phase, and in what zodiac sign the night star is located? Our online calendar will help you find out! Using our service, you can track not only what lunar day it is today, but also the rising and setting of the Moon, and its current position. The calculation was made taking into account the time of the Moscow time zone.
Moon phases
First phase of the moon - New Moon
Neutral phase. During this period, you should refrain from performing any serious magical rituals, because the person feels unnecessary and abandoned by everyone. If today is a new moon, there may be a slight mental deviation in all zodiac signs. But don't worry, this is normal. The strength will grow with the Moon, and all the energy will return back.
Second phase of the Moon - Waxing
At this time it is best to make plans, but it is too early to start new achievements. My strength is only growing, my body is getting stronger. Luck is returning, the reboot of all feelings has begun.
If today is a full moon, then there is already enough strength to accomplish important things “here and now.” It is recommended to control emotions during this lunar phase. Now the emotional background will fluctuate very often, but don’t let this scare you. If there is a full moon today, then insomnia is possible. If the surplus of positive energy is very high, then throw it out in art or sports. Meditation and analysis of everything that is happening will help you calm down. Today, solitude with nature is encouraged. Now you should take a break and go on vacation to the forest or park.
Third phase of the moon
Today the time has come when a person can accomplish absolutely everything he dreamed of. All things are going according to plan, as calculated.
Fourth phase of the moon
Incredible productivity is on the decline. Everything falls out of hand, energy fades. Depression and poor health may return. The moon today has a negative impact on many people, taking away mental and physical strength. However, there is no need to succumb to melancholy - this period will soon pass, and you will again be able to enjoy the bright colors of life.
The end of the fourth phase is represented by a small crescent in the sky. A mysterious stage when a person is neither happy nor unhappy. It all starts again. The circle of life seems to close and people feel completely different. During this period, pay special attention to your emotional state, cultivate a reverent attitude towards yourself.
Why is it important to know what the moon is now?
If you are going to perform one or another magical ritual, then it is extremely important for you to know what the Moon is like today. For example, it is customary to read conspiracies and prayers for the growth of wealth and the emergence of love relationships. It is believed that the growing night luminary will be able to attract positive events into your life. , on the contrary, it is necessary to get rid of something unnecessary: from a protracted illness, from failure, and so on.
The night luminary affects the representatives of the Zodiac circle in different ways and enhances their qualities. Knowing your characteristics, you can use them for your own benefit. This is even easier to do than to say.
Qualities of the Zodiac signs:
- — leadership, love of life, harmony;
- — peace, communication, ideas;
- - emotionality, amorousness, sociability;
- — subjectivity, isolation, vulnerability;
- — courage, understanding of rules and laws, creativity;