Moon and Taurus

The terms that describe the phases of the Moon can be a little confusing. Take tomorrow morning, for example. From most of the United States, the Sun will light up one-quarter of the lunar hemisphere that faces Earth. You might think that would make it a “quarter” Moon – but no. A “quarter Moon” doesn’t describe the Moon’s appearance – it describes the position in its month-long cycle of phases. The cycle begins when the Moon is new. The Moon crosses the line between Earth and the Sun then, so it’s hidden in the Sun’s glare. A bit more than a week after that, the Moon is a quarter of the way through the cycle – it’s at first quarter. It lines up at a right angle to the Earth-Sun line, so the Sun lights up half of the visible disk. A week later comes full Moon. And a week after that comes last quarter – three-quarters of the way through the cycle. Once again, half of the lunar disk is illuminated – but it’s the opposite half from the first-quarter Moon. Then the Moon rolls back around to new – starting a new cycle. The next cycle starts on Wednesday. And this time it brings a rare treat – a total solar eclipse. In the meantime, look for the Moon passing through Taurus tomorrow. Aldebaran, the bull’s bright eye, is to the right of the Moon. Elnath, the tip of one of its horns, is closer to the lower left of the Moon. As a bonus, Mars is below them, and the Moon will pass close to it on Sunday. Script by Damond Benningfield