Moon phases

Observing the moon for a month allows you to notice that gradually its form changes from a whole disk to a narrow crescent. After this, it remains invisible for two or three days, and then you can observe its change in the reverse order - from the sickle to the disc. The form or phase of the moon changes every month in a strict order. Venus and Mercury also periodically acquire a different appearance, but this lasts much longer.

The phases of the moon change because of the different conditions of its illumination in relation to the one who is watching it. They depend on how the given heavenly body, the Sun and the Earth are mutually located.

The moon can be on a straight line between the Earth and the Sun. In this position, that part of the Earth that is not illuminated, and thus, it is not visible, is rotated. This is the new moon. After 1-2 days, the planet deviates a little from the straight line that connects the centers of the Earth and the Sun. During this period, you can see a narrow crescent moon. After a week, half the disk is already on. This is the first quarter of the lunar phase.

Two weeks later, the planet is again on the line that connects the Sun and Earth, but not between them, but on the other side. So the full moon comes, when the entire disk of the night luminary is illuminated. At this time, most often there are various phenomena - for example, solar eclipses, the largest sea tides. Both phases of the moon are called one word - "syzygy".

Then again begins to decrease that part of the moon that is illuminated. Three weeks after she was invisible, only half of her disc is visible again. This is the last quarter. Every day the sickle of the Moon is getting narrower and narrower. The complete cycle of changes is completed by the "disappearance" of the luminary. The synodic month lasts for almost 30 days (29.53).

In the segment from the new moon to the full moon, the moon is considered to be growing, or young. After the end of this period, it is called old. To find out at what stage of the changes there is a night luminary, use the lunar calendar. The phases of the moon can easily be determined without his help, "by sight." If the appearance of the sickle resembles the letter "C", it is old. If the sickle can be turned into the letter "R" (mentally drawing a wand), then it is young, growing.

The changing phases of the Moon affect not only the processes taking place in nature, but also for each individual. And men and women react to them in different ways. So, the stronger sex is influenced by the new moon. During this period they become more sociable, talkative. During the full moon, men, on the contrary, become calm, obedient, complaisant, they have a libido. But women in the full moon are just more irritable, their emotional state is unstable, and assessments are biased. Their biological rhythms are inseparable from the phases of the night luminary. For example, it concerns the monthly: if they develop normally, then, as a rule, they begin in the same period when the woman was born.

The time of full moon and new moon is dangerous for both men (frequent heart attacks), and for their halves (strokes). Therefore, a few days before them, in order to prevent both, it is better to take medications that will substantially reduce this risk.

Ancient people noticed, and modern studies have confirmed that the effectiveness of certain actions is directly influenced by the phases of the moon. Hair cutting, for example, will be more or less effective depending on the time of its holding. It is believed that for better hair growth, they should be cut off on the growing Moon. However, if, on the contrary, you want to visit the hairdresser less often, then the time for a haircut is better to choose another. The period of the waning moon is best suited .

The change in the luminary also affects the fate of unborn children. Studies have shown that if a child is conceived in the year when his mother's birthday falls on a full moon or a new moon, he will develop mentally and physically faster than his peers.