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.

December 2016

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Choose Month and Year:
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
     
1
Waxing Crescent Moon
2
Waxing Crescent Moon
3
Waxing Crescent Moon
4
Waxing Crescent Moon
5
Waxing Crescent Moon
6
Waxing Crescent Moon
7
First Quarter Moon
8
Waxing Gibbous Moon
9
Waxing Gibbous Moon
10
Waxing Gibbous Moon
11
Waxing Gibbous Moon
12
Waxing Gibbous Moon
13
Waxing Gibbous Moon
14
Full Moon
15
Waning Gibbous Moon
16
Waning Gibbous Moon
17
Waning Gibbous Moon
18
Waning Gibbous Moon
19
Waning Gibbous Moon
20
Waning Gibbous Moon
21
Last Quarter Moon
22
Waning Crescent Moon
23
Waning Crescent Moon
24
Waning Crescent Moon
25
Waning Crescent Moon
26
Waning Crescent Moon
27
Waning Crescent Moon
28
Waning Crescent Moon
29
New Moon Crescent Moon
30
Waxing Crescent Moon
31
Waxing Crescent 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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