The moon changes shape every evening / night, yet the shape of the moon is always the same. Why does the moon always look different? What do the different shapes of the moon mean? In this blog you can read everything about the moon and the moon phases.
Why does the moon change?
Although it seems that the moon is changing, of course it is not. The moon itself gives no light and is always dark. Yet we see the moon - or parts of the moon - give light / shine. How is that possible?
What actually happens is that the moon reflects the light from the sun. The moon revolves around the earth in 29.5 day(s), so that a different part of the moon is illuminated every day / night. This makes it seem as if the month has a different shape every day / night. In reality, the moon is always round, but we only see the part that we can see from the earth, where the sun shines.
Four different moon phases
Although the moon has a different shape every day / night, we know 4 moon phases:
- New Moon
- First quarter (crescent moon)
- Full moon
- Last quarter (waning moon)
New Moon
The new moon is only visible if you look very closely. At the new moon, we only see the part of the moon that is not illuminated by the sun, and is therefore a dark 'sphere'.
First quarter and last quarter
At the first and last quarter we see a small crescent moon that is visible through the light of the sun on the moon.
Full moon
At the full moon we see the entire part of the moon that is illuminated by the sun.
The influence of the moon
Moon phases have a lot of influence on life on earth, our emotions and how we feel physically. The natural cycle of the moon is also compared to the female menstrual cycle and stands for: construction, growth, full bloom, reduction and release.
Influence of the Moon on the Earth
The moon pulls on the earth, which involves great forces. The forces of the moon can be observed in places where the moon is closest to the earth, the closer to the earth, the greater the forces of the moon. For example, in places where the moon is close to the earth, higher water levels are visible, for example, the power of the moon causes ebb and flow at sea and the power of the moon influences the sap that flows through plants and trees.
Influence of the moon on man
Not only does the moon affect the earth, but the moon also has a lot of influence on us, humans. We humans consist of about 70% water, so if the power of the moon affects the earth, it certainly affects us as humans. The power of the moon has an effect on our emotions, energy and sleep, among other things. We are most affected by this at the time of the full moon.
A full moon causes unrest in many people, which makes it harder (sometimes not) to fall asleep, to dream quite intensely or even to sleepwalk. Bleeding can also be more intense, which is why hospitals often choose not to perform major operations during a full moon, unless of course there is no other option.
The moon is therefore much more than just a beautiful phenomenon in the dark night!