Full moon
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{{otheruses|Full Moon}}
[[Image:Full Moon Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|200px|The full moon, as observed from Earth.]]
[[Image:Full moon.jpeg|thumb|200px|Composite image of the Moon as taken by the [[Galileo probe|Galileo]] spacecraft on [[7 December]] [[1992]]. The color is 'enhanced' in the sense that the CCD camera is sensitive to near infrared wavelengths of light beyond human vision.]]
'''Full moon''' is a [[lunar phase]] that occurs when the [[Moon]] is on the opposite side of the [[Earth]] from the [[Sun]]. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in [[opposition (astronomy)|opposition]] with the Sun.<ref>{{cite book | year = [[Jean Meeus]] | date= 1998 | title = Astronomical Algorithms (2nd ed.) |isbn = 0-943396-61-1| chapter = 49. Phases of the Moon}}</ref> At this time, as seen by viewers on Earth, the hemisphere of the Moon that is facing the earth (the [[Near side of the Moon|near side]]) is fully illuminated by the Sun and appears round. Only during a full moon is the opposite hemisphere of the Moon, which is not visible from Earth (the [[far side of the Moon|far side]]), completely unilluminated.
As a [[lunar month]] is about 29.531 days long, the full moon falls on either the 14th or 15th of the lunar month in those calendars that start the month on the new moon. In any event, the period between full moons can be either 29 or 30 days.
== Characteristics ==
Although it takes only 27.322 days on average for the Moon to complete one [[orbit]] around the Earth (the [[sidereal month]]), as a result of the Earth's orbital motion around the Sun it requires about two additional days for the Earth, Moon, and Sun to acquire the same relative geometry. So on average the number of days between two similar [[lunar phase|phases]] (''e.g.'', between one full moon and the next full moon) is about 29.531 days. This period is referred to as a [[lunation]], [[lunar month]], or [[synodic month]]. The actual number of days in a lunation can vary from about 29.272 to 29.833 because the velocities of the Moon and of the Earth are not constant in their elliptic orbits, and because of gravitational interactions with other bodies in the [[solar system]].<ref>{{cite journal | last = Roger W. Sinnott | date = 1993 | title = How Long Is a Lunar Month? | journal = Sky & Telescope | pages = 76–77}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.singsurf.org/moon/index.html | title = Variation in number of days between full moons}}</ref>
Because the month of February has only 28 days (or 29 in a [[leap year]]), there have been a few occasions during which this month has been without a full moon. In particular, there was no full moon in February of 1866, 1885, 1915, 1934, 1961 or 1999.<ref>[[MadSci Network]]: Astronomy — [http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/apr2001/987551549.As.r.html Re: Why didn't February 1865 have a full moon?]</ref> There will be no full moon during February of 2018.<ref>[http://www.moon-phases.net/calendar/index.php?month=2&year=2018 Calendar showing phases of the moon for February 2018, moon-phases.net]</ref> In these years, there were instead either two full moons in January, March, or both (as in 1999). In the leap year of 1972, there was a full moon on [[February 29]]. The previous February 29 full moon occurred in 1820 and before that in 1752.
A full moon is often thought of as an event of a full night's duration. This is somewhat misleading, as the Moon seen from Earth is continuously becoming larger or smaller (though much too slowly to notice with the [[naked eye]]). Its absolute maximum size occurs at the moment expansion has stopped, and when [[Graph (mathematics)|graphed]], its [[tangent]] [[slope]] is zero. For any given location, about half of these absolute maximum full moons will be potentially visible, as the other half occur during the day, when the full moon is below the horizon. Many [[almanac]]s list full moons not just by date, but by their exact time as well (usually in [[GMT]]). Typical monthly [[calendars]] which include phases of the moon may be off by one day if intended for use in a different [[time zone]].
The date and time of a specific full moon (assuming a circular orbit) can be calculated from the equation:<ref>{{cite book | year = [[Jean Meeus]] | date= 1991 | title = Astronomical Algorithms (1st ed.) |isbn = 0-943396-35-2| chapter = 47. Phases of the Moon}}</ref>
:<math> D = 20.362954 + 29.5305888531 \times N + 102.19 \times 10^{-12} \times N^2</math>
where ''D'' is the number of days since [[1 January]] [[2000]] 00:00:00 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]], and ''N'' is an integer number of full moons, starting with 0 for the first full moon of the year 2000. The true time of a full moon may differ from this approximation by up to about 14.5 hours as a result of the non-circularity of the moon's orbit.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The age and apparent size of the full moon vary in a cycle of just under 14 [[synodic month]]s, which has been referred to as a [[full moon cycle]].
Full moons are generally a poor time to conduct [[astronomy|astronomical]] observations, since the bright reflected sunlight from the moon overwhelms the dimmer light from stars.
== Folklore ==
{{see also|The Moon in mythology|Lunar effect}}
Full Moons are traditionally associated with temporal [[insomnia]], [[insanity]] (hence the terms ''lunacy'' and ''lunatic'') and various "magical phenomena" such as [[lycanthropy]]. Psychologists, however, have found that there is no strong evidence for effects on human behavior around the time of a full moon.<ref>{{cite news | title=Full Moon Effect On Behavior Minimal, Studies Say | date=2004-02-06 | publisher=National Geographic Society | url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1218_021218_moon.html}}</ref> They find that studies are generally not consistent, with some showing a positive effect and others showing a negative effect. In one instance, the [[December 23]], [[2000]] issue of the ''[[British Medical Journal]]'' published two studies on dog bite admission to hospitals in [[England]] and [[Australia]]. The study of the [[Bradford Royal Infirmary]] found that dog bites were twice as common during a full moon, whereas the study conducted by the public hospitals in Australia found that they were less likely.
Many [[Neopaganism|neopagans]] hold a monthly ritual called an [[Esbat]] at each full moon, while some people practicing traditional Chinese religions prepare their ritual offerings to their ancestors and deities on every full and new moon.
==Calendars==
The [[Hindu calendar|Hindu]], [[Thai lunar calendar|Thai]], [[Hebrew calendar|Hebrew]], [[Islamic calendar|Islamic]], [[Tibetan calendar|Tibetan]], [[Maya calendar|Mayan]], Neo-pagan, Celtic, and the traditional [[Chinese calendar]]s are all based on the phases of the Moon. None of these calendars, however, begin their months with the full moon. In the [[Chinese calendar|Chinese]], [[Hebrew calendar|Jewish]], [[Thai lunar calendar|Thai]] and some [[Hindu calendar]]s, the full moon always occurs in the middle of a [[month]].<ref>{{cite book | first = Bonnie | last = Blackburn | coauthors = Leofranc Holford Strevens | date= 1999 | title = The Oxford Companion to the Year | id = ISBN 0-19-214231-3| publisher = Oxford University Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | first = Edward M. | last = Reingold | coauthors = Nachum Dershowitz | date= 2001 | title = Calendrical Calculations — the millennium edition | id = ISBN 0-521-77752-6 | publisher = Cambridge University Press}}</ref>
In the [[Gregorian calendar]], the [[Computus|date of Easter]] is the first Sunday after the ''ecclesiastical'' full moon which occurs after the ''ecclesiastical'' vernal equinox. In this context, the date of the full moon (together with the date of the vernal equinox) is calculated not according to actual astronomical phenomena, but according to a calendrical approximation of these phenomena.
In the Chinese calendar, the [[Mid-Autumn Festival]] falls on the full moon of the eighth month, whereas the [[Lantern Festival]] falls on the first full moon of the year.
==Full moon names==
[[Image:Full moon night.JPG|thumb|200px|The full moon, as observed from Earth on a clear day.]]
It is traditional to assign special names to each full moon of the year, although the rule for determining which name will be assigned has changed over time (see article at [[blue moon]]). An ancient method of assigning names is based upon seasons and quarters of the year. For instance, the Egg Moon (the Full Moon before [[Easter]]) would be the first moon after March 21st, and the Lenten Moon would be the last moon on or before March 21st. Modern practice, however, is to assign the traditional names based on the [[Gregorian calendar]] month in which the full moon falls. This method frequently results in the same name as the older method would, and is far more convenient to use.
The following table gives the traditional English names for each month's full moon, the names given by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] in the northern and eastern United States, other common names, and Hindu names.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/fullmoonnames.html | title =Full Moon Names and Their Meanings | publisher = The [[Farmer's Almanac]] | accessdate = 2006-03-16}}</ref> Note that ''purnima'' or ''pornima'' is Hindi for ''full moon'', which has also become the Malay word for full moon ''purnama''.
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|+'''Full Moon Names'''
|-
! Month
! English Names
! Native American Names
! Other Names Used
! Hindu Names
|-
| January
| Old Moon
| Wolf Moon
| Moon After [[Yule]], Ice Moon
| Paush Poornima
|-
| February
| Wolf Moon
| Snow Moon
| Hunger Moon, Storm Moon
| Magh Poornima
|-
| March
| Lenten Moon
| Worm Moon
| Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sugar Moon, Sap Moon, Chaste Moon
| [[Holi]]
|-
| April
| Egg Moon
| Pink Moon
| Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Seed Moon, Waking Moon
| [[Hanuman]] Jayanti
|-
| May
| Milk Moon
| Flower Moon
| Corn Planting Moon, Corn Moon, Hare's Moon
| [[Vesak|Buddha Poornima]]
|-
| June
| Flower Moon
| Strawberry Moon
| Honey Moon, Rose Moon, Hot Moon, Planting Moon
| Wat Poornima
|-
| July
| Hay Moon
| Buck Moon
| Thunder Moon, Mead Moon
| [[Guru]] Poornima
|-
| August
| Grain Moon
| Sturgeon Moon
| Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, Lightning Moon, Dog Moon
| Narali Poornima, [[Raksha bandhan]]
|-
| September
| Fruit Moon
| [[Harvest moon|Harvest Moon]]
| Corn Moon, Barley Moon
| [[Bhaadra|Bhadrapad]] Poornima
|-
| October
| [[Harvest moon|Harvest Moon]]
| [[Hunter's moon|Hunter's Moon]]
| Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, Blood Moon
| [[Kojagiri]] or [[Sharad]] Poornima
|-
| November
| [[Hunter's moon|Hunter's Moon]]
| Beaver Moon
| Frost Moon, Snow Moon
| Kartik Poornima
|-
| December
| Oak Moon
| Cold Moon
| Frost Moon, Long Night's Moon, Moon Before [[Yule]]
| [[Margashirsha]] Poornima
|}
== The blue moon ==
{{main|Blue moon}}
The origin of the folkloric term "[[blue moon]]" is complicated, because its meaning has changed over time. Modern practice is to name a full moon a ''blue moon'' if it is the second of two full moons to occur in the same calendar month. The original meaning of ''blue moon'' was the third full moon in a season when there were four full moons in that season.
==See also==
*[[Lunar phase]]
*[[Lunar eclipse]]
*[[Month]]
*[[Near side of the Moon]]
*[[New moon]]
*[[Orbit of the Moon]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/MoonPhase.php U.S. Naval Observatory record of moon phases by year]
[[Category:Phases of the Moon]]
[[ast:Lluna enllena]]
[[ca:Lluna plena]]
[[cs:Úplněk]]
[[de:Vollmond]]
[[el:Πανσέληνος]]
[[es:Plenilunio]]
[[eo:Plenluno]]
[[fa:بدر]]
[[fr:Pleine Lune]]
[[gl:Fases da lúa]]
[[ko:보름달]]
[[hi:पूर्णिमा]]
[[id:Bulan purnama]]
[[it:Plenilunio]]
[[ka:სავსე მთვარე]]
[[lt:Pilnatis]]
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[[nl:Vollemaan (astronomie)]]
[[ja:満月]]
[[no:Fullmåne]]
[[pa:ਪੂਰਨਮਾਸ਼ੀ]]
[[nds:Vullmaand]]
[[pt:Lua cheia]]
[[qu:Killapura]]
[[ru:Полнолуние]]
[[sk:Spln]]
[[fi:Täysikuu]]
[[sv:Fullmåne]]
[[ta:பூரணை]]
[[te:పౌర్ణమి]]
[[th:วันเพ็ญ]]
[[zh:满月]]