How to distinguish between high and low moon

X

This article is co-authored by a team of editors and trained researchers who confirm the accuracy and completeness of the article.

The wikiHow Content Management team carefully monitors the work of editors to ensure that every article is up to a high standard of quality.

This article has been viewed 61,969 times.

When you determine whether the moon in the sky is a high or low, you can know many other things like what phase the moon is in, how the tides will move, where the moon is. compared to the earth and the sun. Knowledge of the rising and setting positions of the moon in different phases is also useful if you want to observe the moon on a certain night. The lunar eclipse has an increasing proportion of illumination (when observed every night), that is, the moon is getting fuller. The low waning moon is the opposite of the high waning moon. There are a number of ways you can tell whether the moon you’re observing is a high or low. The details may vary slightly depending on where you are on earth, but the basic method remains the same.

Table of Contents

Understanding the phases of the moon

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/70/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-1-Version-3.jpg/ v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-1-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 7/70/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-1-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning- Step-1-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Learn the names of the moon phases. The moon revolves around the earth, and then we see different angles of the illuminated part of the moon. The moon does not glow on its own, but only reflects light from the sun. ^{[1] X Source of Study} When moving from a crescent moon to a full moon and back again, the moon goes through several phases, which are identified by the crescent and crescent shapes produced by the moon’s shadow. ^{[2] X The Lunar Research Source} has the following phases:

New Moon
Crescent moon at the beginning of the month
The first half of the month
Crescent moon at the beginning of the month
Full moon
Crescent moon at the end of the month
The last half of the month
Crescent moon at the end of the month
New Moon ^{[3] X Research Source}

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/3/37/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-2-Version-3.jpg/ v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-2-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 3/37/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-2-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning- Step-2-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Understand the meaning of phases. The moon moves in the same orbit around the earth every month, so every month goes through the same phases. The reason there are lunar phases is due to our view from the earth. We see the illuminated part of the moon change differently as the moon moves around the earth. Remember that the half moon is always illuminated by the sun: the angle of view from the earth determines the phases of the moon we see. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

During the new moon, the moon is located between the earth and the sun, so from our perspective, the moon is not illuminated. At this point, the illuminated part of the moon is completely facing the sun, and we will see the dark side of the moon.
During the first half of the month, we see the illuminated half and the unlit part of the moon. This phenomenon also occurs during the last semicircle of the month, only the faces are seen in the opposite direction. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
When the moon is full, we see the entire illuminated part of the moon, while the dark part is completely facing out.
After the full moon period, the moon continues its journey back to its original position between the earth and the sun, beginning a new moon phase.
The moon takes more than 27.32 days to complete one revolution around the earth. However, a lunar month (from one new moon to the next) is 29.5 days, because that’s how long it takes for the moon to return to its position between the sun and the earth. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/6a/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-3-Version-3.jpg/ v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-3-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 6/6a/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-3-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning- Step-3-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Find out the cause of the crescent moon at the beginning of the month and the crescent moon at the end of the month. On our journey from the new moon to the full moon, we will see an increasing proportion of the illuminated half of the moon, and this phenomenon is known as a full moon. As we switch back from full moon to new moon, we’ll see a small percentage decrease in the illuminated half of the moon; This phenomenon is known as the waning moon.

The phases of the moon are always the same, so even though the moon can appear in different positions and directions in the sky, you can still determine which phase the moon is in if you know what to watch. close what.

Determine the phases of the moon in the northern hemisphere

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/a/a7/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-4-Version-3.jpg/ v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-4-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ a/a7/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-4-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning- Step-4-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Know that the moon is getting rounder and waning from right to left. Different parts of the moon are illuminated during the full and waning phases of the moon. In the northern hemisphere, the illuminated part of the moon will grow from right to left until the moon is full, then get smaller from right to left.

The full moon (upper moon) will be illuminated in the right part, and the waning moon (low moon) will be illuminated in the left part. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
Raise your right hand with your thumb facing out, palm facing the sky. The thumb and other fingers form an arc like an inverted C. If the moon matches this arc, it is a retrograde (circular). When you repeat this movement with your left hand and the moon matches the “C” shape, it’s a waning moon.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/67/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-5-Version-4.jpg/ v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-5-Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 6/67/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-5-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning- Step-5-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Remember the rule D, O, C. The moon always obeys the same rules of illumination, so you can use the shape of the letters D, O, and C to identify highs and lows. In the first half of the month, the moon looks like a D. When it’s full, it looks like an O. And at the end of the month, the moon looks like a C.

A crescent-shaped moon like an inverted C is a gradually full moon (upgrade).
A waning moon with the shape of a D is a gradually full moon (upgrade).
A crescent moon with an inverted D-shape is a waning moon (lowering).
A crescent-shaped moon like the letter C is a waning moon (lowering).

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/3/38/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-6-Version-2.jpg/ v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-6-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 3/38/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-6-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning- Step-6-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Find out what time the moon rises and sets. The rising and setting times of the moon are not always the same, but vary depending on the phase of the moon. This means you can rely on the time of moonrise and set to determine if it’s a high or low.

You cannot see the new moon, because it is not illuminated by the sun, and because the moon rises and sets at the same time as the sun.
As the lunar eclipse gradually turns to the first half of the month, the moon rises in the morning, peaks at dusk, and sets around midnight.
The full moon rises when the sun goes down and sets when the sun rises.
When the lunisolar moon turns to the last half of the month, the moon will rise at midnight and set in the morning. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Identifying lunar phases in the southern hemisphere

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/7a/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-7-Version-3.jpg/ v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-7-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/ 7/7a/Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning-Step-7-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Tell-Whether-the-Moon-Is-Waxing-or-Waning- Step-7-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

Learn about the illuminated parts of the moon during the high and low lunar phases. In contrast to the moon viewed from the northern hemisphere, the moon viewed from the southern hemisphere will be illuminated from left to right, become full, and then fade from left to right.

The high waning moon is partly illuminated on the right, and the low waning moon is partly illuminated on the left. ^{[9] X Research Source}
Raise your right hand with your thumb facing out, palm facing the sky. The thumb and other fingers form an inverted C-shaped arc. If the moon matches this arc, it’s a waning (waning) moon. If you repeat this movement with your left hand, and the moon matches the arc of the letter “C”, then it is a retrograde (circular).

Steps

Understanding the phases of the moon

Determine the phases of the moon in the northern hemisphere

Identifying lunar phases in the southern hemisphere

Related Posts