Moon is the largest visible space object to earth, hence, often ignored for the wonderful viewing experiences it proved. Apart from the day the full moon we admire, there are several phases of the moon that one could observe.
Micro Moon - A Micromoon happens when a Full Moon or a New Moon coincides with apogee; the point in the Moon's orbit farthest away from Earth
Super Moon - A Super Moon happens when a Full Moon or New Moon is near the Moon's closest approach to Earth; also called perigee
The Blue Moon
Blue Moon - There are two definitions of a Blue Moon; both are a type of Full Moon. If the moon actually looks blue, it's caused by a rare type of dust in the atmosphere. The other is when there are two full moons during a calendar month.
Black Moon - There are several definitions of a Black Moon. It can be the third New Moon in an astronomical season with four New Moons or the second New Moon in the same calendar month.
Red Moon - This is when the moon gets a reddish colour due to moon passing through the penumbra of earth. Penumbra is explained in below picture
The Moon's orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle, but
elliptical, with one side closer to Earth than the other. As a result, the
distance between the Moon and Earth varies throughout the month and the year.
On average the distance is about 382,900 kilometers (238,000 miles).
The point on the Moon's orbit closest to Earth is called the
perigee and the point farthest away is the apogee.
The Red Moon
Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its Shadow (Umbra). This can occur only when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can occur only the night of a full moon. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location relative to its orbital nodes or the distance from Earth.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its Shadow (Umbra). This can occur only when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can occur only the night of a full moon. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location relative to its orbital nodes or the distance from Earth.
Moon Phases
The sunlight that reflects onto the Moon's surface we call a
Moon phase. The amount of that light we can see from our point of view on Earth
varies every day. The lunar month is generally divided into four primary and
four intermediate Moon phases: New Moon, Waxing Crescent Moon, First Quarter
Moon, Waxing Gibbous Moon, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous Moon, Third Quarter Moon,
and Waning Crescent Moon.
Watching the phases of the moon and how the position and
shadow of the moon changes can be a fun activity. There are other fun instances
that can be associated to the moon as when the International Space Station
travels across the visible moon surface. (Click here for Video)
Taking photographs of the full moon whilst birds or objects
flying in front is considered rare and fun. Have fun with the moon and please
do share your photographs and experiences with us.
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