A page from the "Calendars" exhibit...

A month of moons

With this interactive moon phase calendar, you can choose a month and year and see why lunar months aren’t an exact match with calendar months.

October 2014

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Choose Month and Year:
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
   
1
First Quarter Moon
2
First Quarter Moon
3
Waxing Gibbous Moon
4
Waxing Gibbous Moon
5
Waxing Gibbous Moon
6
Waxing Gibbous Moon
7
Waxing Gibbous Moon
8
Full Moon
9
Waning Gibbous Moon
10
Waning Gibbous Moon
11
Waning Gibbous Moon
12
Waning Gibbous Moon
13
Waning Gibbous Moon
14
Waning Gibbous Moon
15
Last Quarter Moon
16
Last Quarter Moon
17
Waning Crescent Moon
18
Waning Crescent Moon
19
Waning Crescent Moon
20
Waning Crescent Moon
21
Waning Crescent Moon
22
Waning Crescent Moon
23
Waning Crescent Moon
24
New Moon Crescent Moon
25
Waxing Crescent Moon
26
Waxing Crescent Moon
27
Waxing Crescent Moon
28
Waxing Crescent Moon
29
Waxing Crescent Moon
30
Waxing Crescent Moon
31
First Quarter Moon
  
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For millennia, calendars were constructed according to the phases of the moon. We can only imagine what ancient astronomers thought as they scanned the night sky and saw the constantly changing appearance of this large celestial body.

Step outside! Keep track of the moon in your night sky, and chart the changes yourself. See our tips on how to chart the moon in the sky and explore the phases of the moon over the course of its 29.53-day cycle. In the process, you’ll discover why lunar months aren’t an exact match with calendar months.

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