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A N N A R B O R P I O N E E R H I G H S C H O O L
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There is some of the confusion about the correct names for the phases
of the moon. In particular, the name "Half Moon", which is
commonly used by students, is not a recognized name.
The following references include links to their websites for further information. The US Naval Observatory FAQ on Moon phases uses the following labels: New Moon Waxing Crescent First Quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Moon Waning Gibbous Last Quarter Waning Crescent In addition, they discuss "Blue Moon", and reference an article by Phiip Hiscock published in March, 1999 . HOWEVER, the editors of Sky and Telescope, who published that article, have updated their research and found a different definition of "Blue Moon". In their article they explain that a "Blue Moon" occured when there were 4 full moons during any season of the year. The Blue Moon was the third of the four. The NASA's official Moon site labels the phases as: New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter. The Wikipedia gives moon phases with contradicting names for the Last Quarter moon. New Moon Waxing Crescent First Quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Moon Waning Gibbous Last Quarter and Third Quarter Waning Crescent The Encyclopaedia Britannica says that the Moon has 4 main phases. They are: New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter Summary Table US Naval Observatory NASA Wikipedia Britannica New Moon New Moon New Moon New Moon Waxing Crescent Waxing Crescent First Quarter First Quarter First Quarter First Quarter Waxing Gibbous Waxing Gibbous Full Moon Full Moon Full Moon Full Moon Waning Gibbous Waning Gibbous Last Quarter Last Quarter Last Quarter & Third Quarter Last Quarter Waning Crescent Waning Crescent |
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