Last Updated on September 6, 2024
The moon remains a mystery to us despite us having conquered it. On one hand, we still associate it with magic and enchantment. On the other hand, several countries have already left their marks on its arid surface.
The Many Faces of the Moon
The ‘faces’ of the moon is just what the moon looks like from earth. How we view the moon depends on which side of it is illuminated by the sun and its orbit – or pathway – around us. There are eight phases:
- New moon
- waxing crescent
- first quarter
- waxing gibbous
- full moon
- waning gibbous
- third quarter
- waning crescent
The moon never produces its own light. Rather, the famous ‘moonlight’ is just the light of the sun being reflected on one side of its surface. Thus, as the moon travels around the earth, there comes a time when we see nothing but its dark side. Hence, a new moon.
The Moon Throughout History
The Egyptians were one of the earliest civilizations that tried to understand the moon and its workings by identifying it as a deity. One of their more powerful gods, Khonsu, was referred to as the moon god. He was believed to have been the child of Amun and his consort, Mut. Khonsu was so named because just like the moon that travels across the sky, his name can be interpreted as ‘to cross’ or ‘to travel’.
The moon is a significant symbol in many religions. In the early times, a lunar crescent would be trumpeted or announced in Islam. Although its origins are rather complex, a good number of Islamic flags and mosques have the crescent moon and star design.
Around the 18th century, the moon has come to be associated with philosophers, intellectuals, and industrialists. It was said that many people – especially the learned – depended on the moon’s light to guide them safely homeward after their meetings.
What To Do on a Full Moon
It’s a cloudless night and the darkness beckons. What do you do?
Whether it’s a crescent or a full moon, you can’t let these opportunities go to waste. Learn how to photograph in the dark to capture the strange shapes of nature around you. Go with a friend for a quick stroll around your neighborhood. Some of the most interesting things go out when the sun goes down.
Who knows, maybe you’ll spot a bat, an owl, or any of the nocturnal creatures that come crawling out at night. These animals usually can’t be seen by day. Other amazing things to keep an eye out for are fireflies and moths. While you’re out, let your ears be serenaded by the sounds of cicadas and crickets.
Stuck at home? Get creative! Take out your pen and paper, or some watercolors, and see if you can interpret the moon in all its glory. How does the moon look like from your window or balcony? This is the perfect moment to recharge your senses and be carried away by the mysteries of the world. Let your imagination run wild.
Tonight, be inspired by these moon quotes.
Wise Moon Quotes
- “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.” – Les Brown
- “Life is too short to not have fun; we are only here for a short time compared to the sun and the moon and all that.” – Coolio
- “There’s something enchanted about night. All those heavenly bodies, shooting stars, the crescent moon, celestial phenomenon.” – Luanne Rice
- “I feel like the moon is a very beautiful woman. She’s in control.” – Ravyn Lenae
- “There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.” – George Carlin
- “I’ve never seen a moon in the sky that, if it didn’t take my breath away, at least misplaced it for a moment.” – Colin Farrell
- “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” – Anton Chekhov
- “Those are the same stars, and that is the same moon, that look down upon your brothers and sisters, and which they see as they look up to them, though they are ever so far away from us, and each other.” – Sojourner Truth
- “If you strive for the moon, maybe you’ll get over the fence.” – James Woods
- “I love to think that animals and humans and plants and fishes and trees and stars and the moon are all connected.” – Gloria Vanderbilt
- “The moon can never breathe, but it can take our breath away with the beauty of its cold, arid orb.” – Munia Khan
- “Always remember we are under the same sky, looking at the same moon.” – Maxine Lee
- “I always look up at the moon and see it as the single most romantic place within the cosmos.” – Tom Hanks
- “You can be the moon and still be jealous of the stars.” – Gary Allan
- “Be both soft and wild. Just like the moon. Or the storm. Or the sea.” – Victoria Erickson
- “If I tell you there’s cheese on the moon, bring the crackers.” – Tyronn Lue
- “Drag me to the moon, to catch a star and seize its brilliance as I’m swept up in amorphous dust.” – Bradley Chicho
- “I am not a person who reaches for the moon as long as I have the stars.” – Gertrude Ederle
- “She and the moon could always be found playing in the darkness.” – J. Lawless
- “With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon who could not be happy?” – Oscar Wilde
- “The full moon – the mandala of the sky.” – Tom Robbins
- “How many ways can you describe the sky and the moon?” – Toni Morrison
- “Go slowly, my lovely moon, go slowly.” – Khaled Hosseini
- “Don’t worry if you’re making waves just by being yourself. The moon does it all the time.” – Scott Stabile
- “We ran as if to meet the moon.” – Robert Frost
- “The moon is too close. I want to go further.” – Shirley MacLaine
- “Don’t even try to talk to me when I’m watching the moon. That’s my moon, baby.” – Wendelin Van Draanen
- “I’m as old as the moon and the stars, and as young as the trees and the lakes.” – Afrika Bambaataa
- “I will never be a morning person, for the moon and I are much too in love.” – Christopher Poindexter
- “Don’t tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the Moon.” – Paul Brandt
- “The moon will guide you through the night with her brightness, but she will always dwell in the darkness, in order to be seen.” – Shannon L. Alder
- “The sun loves the moon so much that he dies every night to let her breathe, and in return, she reflects his love.” – Jeffrey Fry
- “The moon’s a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there.” – John M. Grunsfeld
- “So imagine that the lovely moon is playing just for you – everything makes music if you really want it to.” – Giles Andreae
- “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” – Clement Stone
- “I swear, the reason for full moons is so the gods can more clearly see the mischief they create.” – Michael J. Sullivan
- “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” – Mark Twain
- “Shoot for the moon; you might get there.” – Buzz Aldrin
- “It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon.” – Galileo Galilei
- “Don’t worry if you’re making waves just by being yourself. The moon does it all the time.” – Scott Stabile
- “Full moon is a good fisherman; every eyes are easily caught in his net!” – Mehmet Murat ildan
- “There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery.” – Joseph Conrad
- “For when I look at the Moon I do not see a hostile, empty world. I see the radiant body where man has taken his first steps into a frontier that will never end.” – David R. Scott
- “The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to.” – Carl Sandburg
- “I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it.” – Albert Einstein
- “The moon is the reflection of your heart and moonlight is the twinkle of your love.” – Debasish Mridha
- “The Moon is the first milestone on the road to the stars.” – Arthur C. Clarke
- “But even when the moon looks like it’s waning…it’s actually never changing shape. Don’t ever forget that.” – Ai Yazawa
- “The beautiful moon is an antidepressant. Love for her light is in every heart because she is so friendly, loving and forgiving.” – Debasish Mridha MD
- “When hope is fleeting, stop for a moment and visualize, in a sky of silver, the crescent of a lavender moon. Imagine it – delicate, slim, precise, like a paper-thin slice from a cabochon jewel. It may not be very useful, but it is beautiful. And sometimes it is enough.” – Vera Nazarian
