How many days are there between two full moon periods?
It is difficult to say how many days there are between two full moon periods. After all, the earth also moves around the sun. In this case the moon also has to travel a much longer distance.
29.53 days lie between two full moon phases
- A moon phase lasts exactly 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes. This means that there are 29.53 days between two full moon periods. This is due to the movements of the sun, moon and earth, which move at different speeds.
- Typically, it takes the moon 27.33 days to move once around the earth. However, since the sun and earth are also moving, another 2 days are added so that the moon arrives at exactly the same point at which it was at the beginning of its orbit. This period is called the "synodic month".
- This moon phase lasts for different lengths of time. Except in February, it is shorter than the actual calendar month. The value 29.53 days is therefore only an average.
Moon periods can last for many days
- Not only two full moon periods last 29.53 days. There are just as many days between two new moon phases. That means 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes also pass between two new moon phases.
- This halves the time between new moon and full moon. This phase lasts 14 days, 18 hours and 22 minutes. However, these are only average values. More precise information is not possible because the moon moves at different speeds on its elliptical orbit around the earth. The effect of the gravitational forces of the sun and planets also influence the speed of the moon.
- Due to the constant movement of the moon, the phases of the moon only last a moment. What takes only a few seconds in the sky is visible to the human eye as a full moon for up to 1.5 days.
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