The Realm of the Moon
The Moon in myth, calendars, tradition and the sky.
Start hereLunar deities
20 articles
Phases and cycles
20 articles
Lunar calendars
20 articles
The Moon in tradition
20 articles
The Moon in art and poetry
20 articles
From the sky to the page
Selene and Endymion: the myth of eternal sleep on Mount Latmus
The myth of Endymion, beloved of the Moon: the versions from Elis and Caria, the ancient sources, Roman sarcophagi and the theme's later life up to Girodet.
Phases and cyclesLunar eclipses: why our satellite turns red
Umbra, penumbra and light bent by the atmosphere: how a lunar eclipse happens, what the Danjon scale measures and how the ancients interpreted it.
Lunar calendarsThe Lunar New Year: the Spring Festival in China, Korea and Vietnam
How the Lunar New Year is calculated, why it falls between January and February, Spring Festival customs, the twelve animals and the Lantern Festival.
The Moon in traditionThe Moon in the houses: the joy of the Goddess and the Lot of Fortune
The Moon in the twelve houses of classical astrology: her joy in the third house called the Goddess, the Lot of Fortune of Vettius Valens and the angles.
The Moon in art and poetryLeopardi's Night Song: a shepherd's questions to the Moon
Leopardi's Night Song of a Wandering Shepherd of Asia: the travel source behind it, the dialogue with the silent Moon, the flock and the theme of ennui.
Lunar deitiesChandra and Soma: the Moon in India, from the Vedas to the Puranas
Chandra and Soma in Hindu tradition: the Vedic drink, the twenty-seven lunar wives, Daksha's curse, the crescent of Shiva and the Lunar Dynasty.
Moon phases, eclipses, lunar deities and calendars
«The Realm of the Moon» is an educational website devoted entirely to our satellite: to the Moon we observe in the sky, to the Moon that has measured out calendars and to the Moon that fills myths, beliefs and works of art. A hundred articles, in Italian and English, guide the reader from the astronomical explanation of lunar phenomena to the stories that different civilisations have built around them.
We begin with the moon phases and their cycles: why the Moon changes its appearance every night, what distinguishes the synodic month from the sidereal month, how lunar and solar eclipses occur, what the supermoon and the blue moon really are, and how far our satellite moves away each year. The explanations are scientific; the symbolic meaning that tradition has given to these phenomena is presented separately, as a history of ideas.
One section is devoted to the lunar deities: Selene and her chariot, Artemis and Diana of Nemi, three-formed Hecate, Thoth and Khonsu in Egypt, Nanna at Ur, Chang'e in China, Tsukuyomi in Japan, Máni in the North, Coyolxauhqui and Mama Quilla in the Americas. Another tells the story of the lunar calendar in its many forms, Babylonian, Hebrew, Islamic, Chinese and Hindu, together with the reckoning of Easter and the traditional full moon names, from the Wolf Moon to the Harvest Moon.
The site is completed by the Moon in tradition, from Ptolemy's astrology to the Arabic lunar mansions, from the silver of the alchemists to the proverbs of farmers, and by the Moon in art and poetry, from Lucian of Samosata to Ariosto, from Galileo to Leopardi, from Beethoven to Debussy. It is curated by the Studio Esoterico Cornelio, for which the Moon is one of the great symbols of the esoteric tradition: precisely for this reason, astronomy and legend each have their own space here, and are never confused.
Frequently asked questions
How many moon phases are there?
There are four main phases: new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter. Between them come the intermediate phases, namely the waxing crescent, waxing gibbous, waning gibbous and waning crescent, for a total of eight. The full cycle lasts on average about 29.5 days and depends on the position of the Moon relative to the Earth and the Sun, which always lights only one half of it.
What is the difference between the synodic and the sidereal month?
The sidereal month, about 27.3 days long, is the time the Moon takes to complete one orbit around the Earth relative to the fixed stars. The synodic month, about 29.5 days long, is instead the interval between two identical phases, for example between two new moons. It is longer because in the meantime the Earth moves along its orbit around the Sun, and the Moon has to travel a little further to return to the same position.
Why does the Moon turn red during a lunar eclipse?
In a total lunar eclipse the Earth lies between the Sun and the Moon and its shadow covers the lunar disc. Part of the sunlight, however, passes through the Earth's atmosphere, which scatters mainly the blue wavelengths and lets the red ones through, bending them towards the Moon. The colour can range from copper to dark red depending on the amount of dust and cloud in the atmosphere.
What does blue moon mean?
Today a blue moon is the second full moon falling in the same calendar month, an event that occurs on average every two or three years. This meaning comes from a misreading, published in 1946 by the magazine Sky and Telescope, of a rule in the Maine Farmers' Almanac, which instead referred to the third of four full moons in a season. The Moon does not change colour: the expression is only a name.
Who was the Greek goddess of the Moon?
The Greek personification of the Moon was Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia according to Hesiod's Theogony, and sister of Helios, the Sun, and Eos, the Dawn. She was imagined crossing the night sky on a silver chariot and is best known for the myth of her love for the shepherd Endymion. In later times Artemis and Hecate were also associated with the Moon.
Where do full moon names such as Wolf Moon come from?
Names such as Wolf Moon, Snow Moon or Harvest Moon were popularised above all by 20th century North American almanacs, which attributed them partly to Native American traditions and partly to European settlers. Different series of names exist in many cultures. The Harvest Moon, for example, is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, which once extended the light available for work in the fields.