A lunar cycle is a period marked by a succession of phases of the Moon. We can see this clearly by observing the Moon regularly in the sky: full Moon, half Moon, new Moon… Here is the origin of these lunar phases.
If you do a search on Google using the search engine’s home page this Thursday, January 23, 2025, you will come across an intriguing little game. This new interactive Google Doodle is a poetic game on the theme of lunar cycles. He ” celebrates the last half-moon of January », Specifies Google, through a card game in which you must face the earth’s natural satellite.
Indeed, the astronomical calendars for January 2025 confirm it, the phase of the last quarter of the Moon occurred on January 21. It is one of the stages of the lunar cycle. But what exactly is a lunar cycle?
What is a lunar cycle?
A lunar cycle corresponds to a period during which different lunar phases follow one another. You just have to look at the Moon regularly to understand it: every night, the Moon seems to “change shape”. Sometimes it looks like a thin crescent, other times it is half visible. Sometimes you can only see it half, if at all. These are the phases of the Moon.
The Moon doesn’t actually change. It is our perception of its visible side (always the same) from the Earth, which varies over time, following a cycle. The Moon does not produce light like a star; if we see it luminous, it is because it is illuminated by the only source of light in the solar system: the Sun. The Sun always illuminates one half of the Moon, the other half is plunged into darkness.
« On Earth, our view of the illuminated part of the Moon changes every night, depending on the Moon’s position in its orbit around Earth. ”, summarizes Nasa.
What are the phases of the Moon?
There are 4 main lunar phases:
- The new Moon ????
- The first district ????
- The full moon ????
- The last district ????
How long is the lunar cycle?
A lunar cycle is complete after one lunation, that is to say the interval between two new moons: approximately 29 days.
What is the Moon cycle today?
To find out where the Moon is in its cycle, you can use this NASA site which offers (in English) an interactive map. Be careful to choose the current date and the correct hemisphere (north, if you are in mainland France).
There is even a percentage of the visible side of the Moon currently illuminated by the Sun. The number of days since the last new moon is specified.
When is the next lunar cycle?
To know when the next lunar cycle begins, you need to know the date of the next new moon. The beginning and end of a lunar cycle are marked by this phase.
-Here are the dates of the new Moons for the year 2025:
- On Wednesday January 29,
- On Saturday February 28,
- On Saturday March 29,
- On Sunday April 27,
- On Tuesday the 27th,
- On Wednesday June 25,
- Thursday July 24,
- On Saturday August 23,
- On Sunday September 21,
- On Tuesday October 21,
- On Thursday, November 20,
- Saturday December 20.
When are the full moon days in 2025?
The full Moon in 2025 occurs on these dates:
- On Monday January 13,
- On Wednesday February 12,
- Friday March 14,
- On Sunday April 13,
- On Monday May 12,
- On Wednesday June 11,
- Thursday July 10,
- On Saturday August 9,
- On Sunday September 7,
- On Tuesday October 7,
- Wednesday, November 5,
- Friday December 5.
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