Full Moon Calendar 2012

The importance of the moon is not just restricted to the field of astronomy, but spans across several cultures which date back to times when astronomy was not an established field of science. When we talk about the importance of the moon in different cultures, we can't afford to ignore the lunar calendar - a calendar prepared on the basis of different phases of moon. While most of us use the Gregorian calendar, there do exist some cultures in different parts of the world which resort to the lunar calendar or moon phases calendar even today. One of the most prominent example is the Islamic calendar - the Hijri calendar, which consists of 12 lunar months.

Phases of the MoonIn order to get a good understanding of the 2012 full moon calendar, you need to be well-versed with the different phases of moon - the full moon and the new moon in particular. The four major phases of the moon are: New Moon - wherein the Moon appears as a narrow waxing crescent. First Quarter - wherein one half of the moon is visible. Full Moon - wherein the moon is fully illuminated. Last Quarter - wherein one half of the moon is visible. Basically, a new moon is the lunar phase wherein the Sun, the Moon and the Earth come in a straight line - with the Moon in between the Sun and Earth in such a manner that the dark portion of the moon faces the Earth. As a result of this, the moon is not visible from the Earth with the naked eye during the new moon day. The full moon, on the other hand, is the lunar phase wherein the Earth is in between the Sun and the moon. As a result of this, the Sun's light gets reflected on the face of the moon which is facing the Earth and it gets illuminated - thus making the moon appear very bright.

Full Moon Calendar 2012 Edition

A lunar calendar is based on the phases of moon's cycle or the lunar cycle. The lunar cycle goes as follows: new moon → first quarter → full moon → last quarter → new moon. In lunar calendars, a month refers to the period between two full moons or two new moons - depending on which lunar calendar is taken into consideration. There are different types of lunar calendars, each of which differs from the other. In the Hindu calendar, the month starts with a full moon and ends with the next full moon. In the Chinese lunar calendar, on the other hand, the month starts with the new moon and ends with the next new moon. You can refer to the following calendar for the 13 days of the year wherein you will be able to see the full moon in the sky.

Moon	Date	Time (UTC)
	9th January 2012	07:31:17
	23rd January 2012	07:40:29
	7th February 2012	21:55:01
	21st February 2012	22:35:52
	8th March 2012	09:40:38
	22nd March 2012	14:38:18
	6th April 2012	19:19:45
	21st April 2012	07:18:00
	6th May 2012	03:35:00
	20th May 2012	23:48:14
	4th June 2012	11:12:40
	19th June 2012	15:03:14
	3rd July 2012	18:52:53
	19th July 2012	04:25:10
	2nd August 2012	03:28:32
	17th August 2012	15:55:38
	31st August 2012	13:59:12
	16th September 2012	02:11:46
	30th September 2012	03:19:40
	15th October 2012	12:03:37
	29th October 2012	19:50:39
	13th November 2012	22:09:08
	28th November 2012	14:47:10
	13th December 2012	08:42:41
	28th December 2012	10:22:21

This full moon calendar is compiled by taking into consideration the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and you will have to refer to the UTC offset to convert this time into your local time.

The full moon doesn't occur on the same day of every month because the moon takes 29½ days, and not specifically a month, to orbit the Earth. (As a result of this, you get to witness two full moons in a single calendar month every three years.) On the day of the full moon, it is at its best appearing very bright and full from the planet. On a new moon day, on the other hand, it appears as if there is no moon in the sky, unless you use a telescope to get a glimpse of it.