MOONING

Have you been watching the Moon recently?  We've had some really clear nights and that disc is amazing.  It's situated so that it bleeds through my bedroom window, right now.  I can't ignore it. 

In this part of the world it is in what we call "Waxing Gibbuos" phase.  I think that's moon-watcher talk for "it's not full but it's more than half and getting there."  Each night we can see a little more of it being illuminated.  It was half-full to our eyes last Friday - the first quarter of the full moon.  Even though it looked like a half-moon to us we call it a quarter.  The other quarter is lighting up the dark side of the Moon which we can't see. Is anyone confused yet?

The full moon will be here next Saturday.  Guess what phase comes next!   If you said "Waning Gibbuos" phase, go to the head of the class.  Of course that means it's more than half and getting smaller.  

Now comes the real fun.  On March 3, we'll see the third quarter Moon.  Don't ask!  After the third quarter, we'll be in the phase where we see less than half of the Moon illuminated.  So, we call this the "Waning Crescent" Moon.  And, when the waning crescent is totally 'waned out' - gone - we call that a "New Moon."   You got it, when the Moon is 'New', we see nothing!  I'm not making this up.  This will happen at 5 am on March 10.  

After the "New Moon" comes the "Waxing Crescent", then the First Quarter", then the "Waxing Gibbuos", then the "Full Moon", then the "Waning Gibbuos" etc., etc., etc.

You think this is complicated?  Earthlings are going to have to get a lot smarter if we plan on visiting other planets.  Mars, the closest maybe-inhabitable planet, has two moons.  Twice as confusing!  That's nothing - Jupiter has 95 confirmed moons.  Wait till some guy like me tries to explain that business to his friends and grandchildren.  Elon Musk better think this through before he blasts some unsuspecting people up there.    

Do lycanthropic creatures understand all this?  Be careful which nights you roam the countryside.