The April lunar cycle begins on Tuesday (2) with the end of the March Full Moon and the arrival of the Waning Moon. The change takes place at 00:14 (Brasília time).
How does the lunar cycle work?
The lunar cycle is the period during which the Moon passes to complete a series of phases, which range from New Moon to reaching it again.
This cycle is known as the lunar month or synodic month, and has an average duration of approximately 29.5 days.
What does each phase of the moon look like?
- New Moon
At this stage, the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, and the illuminated part of the Moon faces the Sun, making it practically invisible from the Earth. But it is possible to observe its presence in the sky during the day.
- Crescent moon
As the Moon moves away from the Sun, a thin illuminated slice begins to appear, forming a crescent. That's why it's called the Quarter of the Crescent Moon, as it is more visible than before.
- Full moon
At this stage, the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in relation to the Earth, and its illuminated face is fully visible.
The passage of the Full Moon is the brightest phase — and when it is possible to see this celestial body completely illuminated in the night sky.
- Waning Moon
As the Moon continues to “shrink in size,” only a thin illuminated slice remains visible before the Moon completely disappears from Earth's view, restarting the cycle with a New Moon.
The phases of the moon and the movement of the tides
The relationship between the phases of the Moon and the movement of the tides is based on the gravitational influence that the Moon exerts on the Earth.
In other words, the gravitational attraction of the Moon causes the formation of tides in the Earth's oceans.
This gravitational influence varies throughout the lunar cycle, resulting in regular high and low tides.
When the Moon is in its New Moon or Full Moon phase, it aligns with the Sun and Earth, creating a more intense combined gravitational force.
This results in high tides, known as spring tides, which occur approximately twice a month, during the New Moon and Full Moon.
In the First Quarter and Last Quarter phases, the Moon and Sun are at right angles to the Earth, which reduces the combined gravitational force on the oceans. This results in lower tides, known as neap tides.
This relationship is so strong that NASA warned that 2030 would see historic floods in the world due to the natural phenomenon of the Moon and global climate change.
See the lunar cycle calendar for April 2024
- Waning Moon: April 2nd, at 00:14
- New Moon: April 8th, at 3:20 pm
- Crescent moon: April 15th, at 4:13 pm
- Full moon: April 23, at 8:48 pm
See also: See images of the Moon taken by a spacecraft from India
Source: CNN Brasil
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