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.

August 2016

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