Lunar eclipses happen only during a full moon and around points on its orbit where the satellite may pass through the planet's shadow. When the Moon moves into Earth's shadow, a lunar eclipse occurs, during which all or part of the Moon's face may appear reddish due to the Rayleigh scattering of blue wavelengths and the refraction of sunlight through Earth's atmosphere.
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.Ī full moon appears as a waning crescent moon during an eclipse moonset over the High Desert in California, on the morning of the Trifecta: Full moon, Supermoon, Lunar eclipse, January 2018 lunar eclipse See New moon for an explanation of the formula and its parameters. 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. Where N is the number of full moons since the first full moon of 2000. The date and approximate time of a specific full moon (assuming a circular orbit) can be calculated from the following equation: d = 20.362000 + 29.530588861 × N + 102.026 × 10 − 12 × N 2 days On 14 November 2016, there was another full "supermoon" this time it was closer to the Earth than at any time in the previous 68 years. On 19 March 2011, there was another full "supermoon", closer to the Earth than at any time in the previous 18 years. This was referred to in popular media as a supermoon. On 12 December 2008, the full moon was closer to the Earth than it had been at any time in the previous 15 years. It is a poor time for other observations because the bright sunlight reflected by the Moon, amplified by the opposition surge, then outshines many stars. The full moon is generally a suboptimal time for astronomical observation of the Moon because shadows vanish. Typical monthly calendars that include lunar phases may be offset by one day when prepared for a different time zone. Many almanacs list full moons not only by date, but also by their exact time, usually in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). For any given location, about half of these maximum full moons may be visible, while the other half occurs during the day, when the full moon is below the horizon. Because a calendar month consists of a whole number of days, a month in a lunar calendar may be either 29 or 30 days long.Ī full moon is often thought of as an event of a full night's duration, although its phase seen from Earth continuously waxes or wanes, and is full only at the instant when waxing ends and waning begins.
Therefore, in those lunar calendars in which each month begins on the day of the new moon, the full moon falls on either the 14th or 15th day of the lunar month. The time interval between a full moon and the next repetition of the same phase, a synodic month, averages about 29.53 days. The full moon occurs roughly once a month. This means that the lunar hemisphere facing Earth – the near side – is completely sunlit and appears as a circular disk. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (more exactly, when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This full Moon was near its northernmost ecliptic latitude (or northern lunistice), so the southern craters are especially prominent and cast shadows visible from Earth. The town has been deserted, but you're never one to back down from a challenge! It will be up to you to help rebuild the town and save the lighthouse.The full Moon of 22 October 2010, as seen through a 235 mm (9.25 in) Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Unfortunately, the weather has different plans, as your ship is hit by a storm, and goes down! You drift into a small harbor town, now in shambles from the storm, where a young doctor named Jeanne saves your life.
Looking for a fresh start and some new surroundings, you set off on a voyage to begin your new life!