Selenic
Follow the lunar cycle from your screen.
Discover the current phase of the moon and its cycle.
The name "Selenic" is inspired by Selene, the ancient Greek goddess of the Moon.
Follow the lunar cycle from your screen.
The phases of the Moon are the different ways the Moon looks from Earth over about a month. As the Moon orbits our planet, the Sun lights up different parts of it. The "New Moon" occurs when the Moon is between Earth and the Sun, making it invisible to us. As it moves in its orbit, we see more of it lit upβthis is the "waxing" phase. After the "Full Moon," when the entire face is illuminated, we see less and less of it, which is the "waning" phase.
The leading theory is the "Giant-Impact Hypothesis." It suggests that about 4.5 billion years ago, a Mars-sized object named Theia collided with the early Earth. This catastrophic impact sent a massive cloud of debris into orbit around our planet. Over time, this material clumped together due to gravity, eventually forming the Moon we see today.