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.

July 2021

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