Moon Phases and Eclipses

Types

• There are five different phases of the moon: new moon, full moon, gibbous moon, half moon and crescent moon. When a moon is "growing," it is called a waxing moon, and when it is "shrinking," it is called a waning moon. According to Enchanted Learning, waxing and waning phases are present in crescent and gibbous moons only. There are two main types of eclipses: solar and lunar eclipses.

Features

• The moon phases have physical features that help tell them apart. At new moon, the moon is in between the sun and the earth, and thus is invisible. As the moon orbits, it position relative to the sun changes, and thus the light reflecting from the sun the moon in different shapes. A crescent moon is either the first quarter or the last quarter of the moon's cycle, followed by a half moon, then a gibbous moon as more sunlight is reflected off the moon's surface. When the moon is positioned so that the earth is in between it and the sun, that is a full moon, the complete surface of that side of the moon is visible as a circular disc in the sky. It takes 14 days from new moon to full moon, and the same on the journey back to new moon.
  Eclipses are distinguished by a full or partial disappearing of the moon or sun. According to the website Earth View, eclipses are caused by either the shadow of the Earth covering the moon, or the shadow of a new moon covering the view of the sun from Earth.

Uses

• Moon phases have been used for millennia as a determinate of time. Many calendars of ancient cultures, as well as the Islamic hijra calendar, use the moon's phases as a guide because a lunar year is rotational, the months in comparison to the static Gregorian calendar move back around 10 days every year. Ancient people used the phases of the moon to help determine the best time for planting crops, women used (and still do) the moon's phases to calculate their menstrual cycles and astronomers used the phases of the moon in conjunction with other planets to determine auspicious times for significant events such as crowning kings, starting journeys or building a building.

Effects

• The different phases of the moon have physical effects on the Earth's gravitational pull---most notably in the changes of the ocean's tides. According to the Moon Tides website, the gravitational pull of the moon is strongest at new and full phases---these are the times when king tides are common. High and low tides are daily occurrences caused by the Earth's daily rotation. Full moons and eclipses are said to have effects on human behavior as well. The term "lunatic" comes from lunar, denoting the moon. The full moon especially has been linked to rises in crime rates, murder, psychotic episodes and even post-operative bleeding, according to Inner Self. Eclipses are thought to have even more powerful effects on human behavior than the full moon.

Mythology

• The moon and eclipses have been sources of myth and legend for millennia. According to Moon Muses, "witches," or practitioners of wiccan belief systems, view the moon as the central guide in their practices---the moon phases in particular are linked to the phases of menstruation and womanhood. Eclipses have been seen as evil or ominous omens throughout many ages and cultures, especially if it is concurrent with an event such as a birth, death or marriage.