Emojis: 🌗 Moon Phases / Lunar Phases

The moon phases describe the different stages of appearance of the moon 🌕 as seen from Earth 🌍, influenced by the respective positions of Earth, Moon, and Sun ☀️ in space. There are these eight main phases: 🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

A complete cycle from new moon 🌑 to new moon, known as a lunation, lasts on average about 29.5 days 📅.

However, the duration of each moon phase can vary as the orbits of Earth 🌍 and Moon 🌕 are not perfectly circular ⭕. This leads to the moon sometimes orbiting faster ⏩ and sometimes slower ⏪ around the Earth. Additionally, the gravitational forces 🧲 of the Sun ☀️ and Earth 🌍 influence the moon and can slightly change its orbiting time ⏱️.

It’s also important to note that the appearance of the moon phases is also influenced by the observer’s specific geographical location 📍 on Earth. Different time zones and latitudes can slightly alter how the moon is seen from different parts of the world.

*Moon phases roughly last ~3.7 days. This estimation splits the full moon cycle into eight parts for easier understanding. New moon 🌑, first quarter 🌓, full moon 🌕, and last quarter 🌗 are ‘event’ phases occurring at specific moments. For observation simplicity, they’re also seen as lasting ~3.7 days. Note, this isn’t strictly accurate for astronomical observations 🔭! For determining the exact lunar phase, it is recommended to look at the lunar calendar 🌝🗓️.

Did you know that the moon phases 🌓 witnessed from the Northern Hemisphere appear inversely compared to the Southern Hemisphere? This is because of the difference in the observer’s perspective due to Earth’s rotation 🌍🔄. The emojis representing the eight phases of the moon are labeled according to their appearance in the Northern Hemisphere, where the moon waxes (increases) from right to left 🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕 and wanes (decreases) from left to right 🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑. However, this is reversed in the Southern Hemisphere 🔄, although in both hemispheres the moon is simultaneously either waxing or waning.

Eight lunar phases in the Northern Hemisphere: 🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘
In the Northern Hemisphere, you can use DOC to remember the phases:
– D shape: 🌓
– O shape: 🌕
– C shape: 🌘

Eight lunar phases in the Southern Hemisphere: 🌑🌘🌗🌖🌕🌔🌓🌒
In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite, which you can remember as COD.
– C shape: 🌘
– O shape: 🌕
– D shape: 🌓