5 Unusual Moon Phases

Supermoon in 2013

#1 Supermoons-

2013 Supermoon
A supermoon is a full moon or a new moon occurring on the same day as when the Moon makes it's closest approach to the Earth on its elliptical orbit. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. The supermoon phenomenon is often associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but there is actually very little evidence to support such a claim.


Supermoon on August 10th, 2014 over the Dolomiti mountains
Supermoon on August 10th, 2014 over the U.S. capitol

August 10th, 2014 via SkyNews taken from the International Space Station
August 10th, 2014 via NASA GISS offices NYC.
Supermoon in 2013
Supermoon in 2012
Supermoon in 2014
Supermoon in 2014 

Supermoon over NYC in 2013.
Supermoon 2012






#2 Harvest Moons (Blood Moons)-


There is no such thing as an actual blood moon and instead what the term usually refers to is the Hunter's Moon or the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon and the Hunter's Moon are traditional terms for the full moons occurring in autumn. They usually occur in September and October, in the Northern Hemisphere respectively. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to autumnal equinox, usually on September 21 or the 22nd, and the Hunter's Moon follows it in October. The Harvest Moon and the Hunter's Moon are unique because the time difference between moon-rises on successive evenings is much shorter than average. There is no distinct period of darkness between the sunset and the moon-rise for several days, so the quickly rising moon reflects red and oranges of the setting sun. The sun colors the moon blood red, which has given this moon phase the nickname "blood moon." The term "blood moon" can also be used to refer to a lunar eclipse.






#3 Lunar Eclipses (Blood Moons)-


A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly into Earth's shadow or umbra and can only happen when the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are exactly aligned. A lunar eclipse will always occur on the night of a full moon, and it is always dimmer than a normal full moon.

Due to its reddish color, a total eclipse of the moon is sometimes referred to as a blood moon. Recently the media has begun to associate the term "blood moon" with the four full moons of a lunar tetrad, especially the 2014-2015 tetrad coinciding with the Jewish feasts of Passover and Tabernacles. A lunar tetrad is a consecutive sequence of four lunar eclipses spaced six months apart. These four blood moons (Tetrads) are significant to the Jewish faith, and certain Jewish Feasts are held to mark the event. Tetrads are very rare, only occurring three times in the last five hundred years (1492, 1948 and 1967.) 

The 2014-2015 tetrad is considered an especially significant historical event to the Jewish faith because it coincides with a Shemittah year, or a Sabbath year, which occurs on every seventh year. The current Shemittah year starts on the first day of the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) on September 25, 2014, and it will conclude on the following Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) on September 13, 2015. There is also a recent Blood Moon Prophecy which many consider to be a crack-pot theory. This theory is studied and taught by Christian pastors John Hagee and Mark Biltz, and it states that the 2014-2015 tetrad is a sign of the end of times and marks the beginning of the apocalypse or armageddon.

1. Passover-April 15, 2014
2. Feast of Tabernacles-October 8, 2014
3. Passover-April 4, 2015
4. Feast of Tabernacles-September 28, 2015


Partial phase of the April 14-15, 2014 total lunar eclipse by Fred Espenak. (Passover)
The moon passed through the Earth's shadow on Oct. 8, 2014, marking a total lunar eclipse and the second of the 2014 so called "blood moons." (Feast of Tabernacles)
Astrophotographer Maxwell Palau captured this shot of the lunar eclipse from San Diego, California, on Oct. 8, 2014. (Feast of Tabernacles)
Astrophotographer Connor Madison created this collage of lunar eclipse photos taken on Oct. 8, 2014.
Astrophotographer Sergio Garcia Rill submitted a photo of the lunar eclipse of Oct. 8, 2014, taken in the museum district of Houston, Texas.


Total lunar eclipse from Arizona.

Lunar eclipse in 2011.




The Sun being eclipsed by the Earth as seen from the Moon, taken by the Japanese probe Kaguya. 




#4 Micromoons-


The point located the farthest from the Earth is known as the apogee. When a full Moon coincides with the Moon’s position at the apogee, it is referred to as a Micro Moon or a Mini Moon. Sometimes this event is also called an Apogee Moon. A Micro Moon looks approximately 14 percent smaller and around 30 percent dimmer than a Super Moon.



Micromoon imposed over supermoon.



#5 New Moons-


The new moon is the first phase of the moon's orbit, which occurs when it is at it's closest rotation to the Sun. More precisely, it is the instant when the moon and the sun have the same ecliptical longitude. (sThe astronomical new moon, sometimes known as a dark moon, occurs at the exact moment the moon is in conjunction with ecliptical longitude of the Sun. In this phase, the moon will often appear invisible from the Earth or "dark." Despite the moon's dark appearance to the unaided eye there is actually a thin crescent present, as the moon does not pass directly in front of the sun except during an eclipse. 

In certain circumstances a new moon can coincide with a solar eclipse, and when this happens it is called a total solar eclipse as the moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun and the three celestial bodies form a straight line. A total solar eclipse can therefore only occur during a new moon, or when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptical longitude. The first waxing crescent marks the beginning of the month in some lunar calendars, such as the Muslim calendar as well as in some lunisolar calendars like the Hebrew calendar, the Hindu calendars, and the Buddhist calendar. In the Chinese calendar the beginning of the month is marked by the dark moon. Sometimes these types of lunar based calendars can make it almost impossible to know in advance when a specific month will begin. For example, the exact date on which Ramadan will begin is not always known beforehand. (s)


Total solar eclipse as well as a new moon.










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