The Moon, created by our Heavenly Father, is truly a special gift to humans. In fact, I have been actively and regularly espying this celestial object ever since I was a very young boy and have yet to learn everything there is to learn about this wonderful part of the Creation by God. (Genesis 1:16, Jeremiah 31:35)

The word for moon in Hebrew is ya·re′ach, which is a word that is very closely related to the word ye′rach, a Hebrew word which translates to lunar month. The Hebrew Calendar was a lunar calendar and each month began with the appearance of the new moon, Hebrew: cho′dhesh. Thus, this Hebrew word for New Moon also came to mean month.

The Hebrew Calendar was a combination of lunar and solar features and began with the month of Abib (Exodus 13:4) which began with the first new moon after the spring equinox. The spring equinox usually falls on 19, 20, or 21 March. However, for a spring equinox to be on 21 March is very rare. In fact, there has not been one in the mainland U.S. for the entirety of the 21st century and the next one will not occur until the year 2101.

The moon does rotates on its own axis, however, what is totally amazing about this rotation of the moon is that it rotates at exactly the right speed to keep the same face turned toward the earth at all times. The moon′s rotational period (or time) is exactly the same time as the sidereal month, (See Lunar Months below).

The synchronization is called gravitational locking and results in a satellite object (the moon) to appear to the earthbound observers as standing perfectly still and not spinning on it′s own axis. Gravitational locking is also referred to as tidal locking and is the cause of the tidal changes on the earth.

The time it takes, 27 days 7 hours and 43 minutes, for the moon to complete one orbit around the Earth is called the Sidereal month.

The word sidereal refers to the Latin word sidereus for stars and is reference to that time the moon, from the earthbound viewer perspective, takes to return to the same point under the stars.

The time it takes, about 29.53 days, for our moon to complete one cycle of phases from new moon to new moon is called the Synodic month. However, this period varies from month to month depending on where the moon is in it′s orbit encircling the Earth. Thus, when this period is examined for a time of 1000 years, the average Synodic month is 29.530575 days. This period is also called a lunar month or a Lunation.

The word synodic is from the Greek word synodikos meaning conjunction and is thus is the time of two successive conjunctions of the same celestial body.

The lunar phase (or the phase of the moon) is determined by the shape of the sunlit (illuminated) portion of the Moon as seen by an observer on Earth. The lunar phase changes as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing positions of the Moon and Sun as they relate to the Earth.

There are four lunar phases during the synodic month, which phases are called: (1) New Moon, (2) First Quarter, (3) Full Moon, and the (4) Third Quarter which is also known as last quarter. Each of the four phases occur at a precise point in the orbit of the moon around the earth with respect to the sun: New Moon is at 0 degrees (or is aligned with the sun); First Quarter is at 90 degrees (the angle formed from the sun to the Earth and then to the Moon); Full Moon is at 180 degrees, (the Earth is directly between the Sun and Moon); and Third Quarter is as 270 degrees (also a right angle but on the opposite side from the First Quarter). (See The Predictable Moon Information Page for charts and maps)

The new moon occurs when the sun and moon are zero degrees apart in their relationship with the earth, or otherwise said when the moon is directly between the Sun and Earth.

During the new moon, the moon′s back side is lit by the sun, and except during a solar eclipse, the moon appears invisible to earth bound viewers, primarily because it is too close to the sun for us to see it.

Then, from the moment of the new moon, the visible portion grows in size, which apparent growth is called waxing. At this time, it is a crescent moon and continues to wax crescent until the the first quarter. This waxing crescent continues with a lighted surface from 1 percent to 49 percent until it reaches the first quarter.

The first quarter is when the visible portion of the moon has grown to have fifty percent of the moon′s surface lit.

Which side is lit, (left or right) depends entirely on the hemisphere the viewer is located. The northern hemisphere sees the first quarter moon with the right side lit and growing while viewers from the southern hemisphere see the left side of the first quarter moon lit and growing.

As the moon continues to wax past the fifty percent point, the shape is now called gibbous. (waxing gibbous from 51% to 99% lit) until it reaches the point of the full moon.

The full moon is the precise point when the moon is a complete illuminated disc. Incidentally, when the moon is full, it is in the sky all night from just after the sun sets until just before the sun rises the next morning, making it 180 degrees opposite of the sun in the sky.

Thus, during this entire time the moon is full, it is never in the sky with the sun.

As the moon leaves the full status, it begins to wane, or grow smaller in apparent size as seen by the viewer. The northern hemisphere viewers see the decreasing moon on the left side now, while viewers in the southern hemisphere see this same moon on the right side. At this point, the visible portion decreases (waning gibbous) until it reaches the third quarter.

The third quarter is when the visible portion of the moon has decreased to have fifty percent of the surface lit. After that, the moon continues to wane but is now crescent once again (waning crescent) until it reaches the next new moon and starts over in a new synodic month.

The words waxing and waning refers to whether the moon is getting smaller or larger. Waxing and waning are two terms that are often related to the phases of the moon. However, these two terms are more accurately describing the ongoing process of the change in amount of the illuminated surfaces, either by increasing or decreasing.

The word Waxing means the size of the illuminated surface is Growing, increasing towards the Full Moon. Whereas, a waxing moon is the moon at any time after a new moon and before a full moon, so called because its illuminated area is increasing.

The word Waning means the size of the illuminated surface is Shrinking, decreasing towards a New Moon. Whereas, a waning moon is the moon at any time after a full moon and before a new moon, so called because its illuminated area is decreasing.

The words crescent or gibbous refer to the phase that the moon is currently in, and both have times when they are waxing or waning. For instance: the Crescent Moon can be described as being either waxing (increasing in size) or waning (decreasing in size).

The word crescent refers to the phases where the moon is Less than fifty percent illuminated.

The word gibbous refers to phases where the moon is More than fifty percent illuminated.

It is opposite for the Southern Hemispher

Crescent or gibbous moon with sunlight on Right Side is waxing

Crescent or gibbous moon with sunlight on Left Side is waning

The first four sections, Crescent Moon, Full Moon, Gibbous Moon, and New Moon are actually referring to phases of the Moon.

The last three sections, Red Moon, Blue Moon and the Earthshine are not phases of the moon but instead are moon phenomena that sometimes occurs.