Lunar Phase Answers


Is this a real photograph?

Yes, I took all of the pictures for this page using a 35mm SLR attachedto a Celestron C5+telescope. (Some of the photos are better than others.) I scanned thenegatives with a Nikon CoolScan II film scanner. (OK, the new moonis not a photo. It's just a black rectangle.)

Why did you make this page? I can already find the lunar phaseseveral other places on the WWW.

There are many fine sites on the Web for getting lunar phase information.However, I don't know of any that give an actual photograph of themoon to show the phase. (Of course, I could have missed some. Pleaselet me know if you know ofa similar site.) My main reason for doing this was just for fun. It'squite a challenge to get all the photos. If you miss one,you've got to wait another month to try again!

How does this page work?

Every three hours, the current phase of the moon is calculated. Then,the photograph that is closest to the calculated phase is selected andthe page is updated accordingly.

How accurate is it?

My intent is to have a photograph for every 5% illumination or better.This would always give a picture that is not more than 2.5% off.Currently, the largest gap is between 33% and 54% waning. All othergaps are less than 10%. I am adding new photographs as opportunitiespermit. And no, I do not take into account such things as librationand eclipses.

I don't see a moon. There's just a black square.

The phase is at or near new moon. During this time, the moon's dark sideis facing Earth, and the moon is not visible. Check back again in a fewdays and you should see more.


Back to Current Lunar Phase
Back to James's home page