THEMOON
The Moon, a celestial presence that has long captivated the human soul. Her cyclic ebb and flow, her silver touch on everything she shines on. She is the muse of the poet who ran out of words. She guides the musician who lost her way home. She whispers to the sleepless dancer in the dead of night. There is a certain silence over a landscape bathed by moonlight, which allows us perhaps to acknowledge our own darkness and reconcile ourselves with it.
For centuries, the Moon has been revered as a deity, a timekeeper, a celestial calendar, shaping cultural, religious, and agricultural traditions across the world. Watched closely by gardeners and plant growers, her phases have long been known to influence the rhythms of nature. Different cultures have their own deep-rooted connections to the Moon; in Chinese tradition, it symbolises peace, prosperity, and family reunion. In Feng Shui, the Moon holds symbolic power—Kan represents its presence, Qian the full moon, and Kun the dark moon.
Scientifically, humanity remained unaware of the Moon's hidden side until 1959, when it was first revealed by space exploration. Despite her mysteries, the Moon continues to be a guiding force in both ancient traditions and modern discovery. The Moon helps stabilise Earth's axial tilt, which is responsible for the planet's seasons. Without her, Earth's tilt could fluctuate dramatically, leading to extreme shifts in climate over long periods.
MARCH 2026
MOON PHASES THIS MONTH
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LUNAR &LUNISOLARCALENDARS
Archaeologists have reconstructed timekeeping methods dating back to prehistoric times, at least as far as the Neolithic era. Most historical societies measured time using natural cycles such as the day, the solar year, and the lunar month. The first visible crescent of the new moon served as a consistent time marker, forming the basis of purely lunar calendars like the Islamic Hijri calendar. However, because twelve lunar months fall short of the solar year by about ten or eleven days, lunar calendars gradually fall out of sync with the seasons.
Lunisolar calendars address this issue by occasionally adding a thirteenth lunar month or resetting the year based on the first new (or full) moon following the winter solstice. The earliest known example of the former approach comes from the Sumerian calendar, while the Chinese calendar follows the latter method, often starting the year on the second or third new moon after the solstice. The Hindu calendar, another lunisolar system, divides each month into two fourteen-day phases corresponding to the waxing and waning moon.
The ancient Roman calendar was largely lunisolar until Julius Caesar reformed it in the first century BCE, introducing a solar-based system with twelve months of fixed lengths, except in leap years. This Julian calendar, later refined in 1582 to adjust its leap year calculations, became the basis of the Gregorian calendar.
The Islamic calendar is entirely based on the Moon's cycles, helping determine important events like Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. Similarly, the Jewish calendar combines both the lunar and solar cycles to establish the dates for Jewish holidays such as Passover and Rosh Hashanah.
Many people also turn to the lunar calendar to foster a deeper connection with nature. By aligning their activities with the Moon's phases, individuals, especially farmers, can plan their planting and harvesting to synchronise with natural rhythms.
LUNATION
The term "Moon's age" refers to the number of days that have passed since the most recent new moon. This measurement helps track the progression of the lunar cycle. A full sequence of the Moon's phases, from new moon to full moon and back to new moon, is known as a "lunation." This cycle, which lasts approximately 29.5 days, governs many traditional calendars and has historically been used for timekeeping, agricultural planning, and religious observances. The lunation influences tidal patterns and is a key factor in various cultural and scientific studies related to astronomy and time measurement.
ECLIPSES
One might expect that a solar eclipse would occur every month when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun during a new moon, or that a lunar eclipse would happen every full moon when the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. However, this is not the case. Eclipses do not occur every month because the Moon's orbital plane is tilted about 5° relative to Earth's orbital plane around the Sun (the ecliptic). As a result, during most new and full moons, the Moon is positioned slightly north or south of the direct alignment needed for an eclipse.
For an eclipse to take place, the Moon must not only be in its new or full phase but also near the intersection of its orbital plane with Earth's orbital plane, known as a node. This alignment happens roughly twice a year, leading to between four and seven eclipses annually. The majority of these are partial eclipses: total eclipses of the Sun or Moon occur less frequently.
LUNAR EFFECT
The lunar effect refers to the link between different phases of the Moon's 29.5-day cycle and changes in behaviour or physiology among living organisms, including humans. Over the years, researchers have explored the lunar phases' influence inhuman activity, including mental health, crime rates, and birth patterns. By the late 1980s, at least 40 studies had examined the connection between lunar cycles and human behaviour, while around 20 focused on its possible impact on birth rates.
Certain corals, such as Dipsastraea speciosa, synchronize their spawning around the last quarter moon, using periods of darkness between sunset and moonrise as a trigger. These corals contain cryptochromes, light-sensitive proteins that help regulate their biological responses to changing lunar light levels. Similarly, the bristle worm (Platynereis dumerilii) spawns a few days after a full moon, guided by specialized proteins with light-absorbing flavin structures that distinguish between moonlight and sunlight. This species has become a key model for studying how marine organisms adapt to lunar cycles.
TIDAL EFFECT
The Moon plays a crucial role in shaping Earth's tides through its gravitational pull. As the Moon orbits our planet, its gravity draws ocean waters toward it, creating a bulge on the side of Earth facing the Moon. At the same time, a second bulge forms on the opposite side due to the centrifugal force caused by Earth's rotation and the Moon's gravitational influence. These bulges result in high tides, while the areas perpendicular to them experience low tides. Since Earth rotates beneath these tidal bulges, most coastal areas experience two high tides and two low tides within a roughly 24-hour period.
The intensity of tides varies depending on the Moon's phase and its alignment with the Sun. During new moons and full moons, when the Sun, Moon, and Earth align, their combined gravitational forces produce spring tides, which result in higher high tides and lower low tides. Conversely, during first and third quarter moons, when the Sun and Moon form a right angle relative to Earth, their gravitational forces partially cancel each other out, leading to neap tides, which have a smaller tidal range. Additionally, the Moon's elliptical orbit causes slight variations in tidal strength, with particularly strong tides occurring when the Moon is at its closest point to Earth, or perigee. This constant interplay between the Moon's gravity, Earth's rotation, and the Sun's influence keeps our planet's oceans in a rhythmic, ever-changing motion.