what is lunar

11 months ago 42
Nature

Lunar refers to something related to the moon. The moon is Earths only natural satellite, and it orbits around Earth at an average distance of 384,400 km, or about 30 times Earths diameter. Lunar can be used to describe various aspects of the moon, including:

  • Lunar eclipses: These occur at the full moon phase when Earth is positioned precisely between the Moon and Sun, and Earths shadow falls upon the surface of the Moon, dimming it and sometimes turning the lunar surface a striking red over the course of a few hours.

  • Lunar phase: This refers to the shape of the Moons directly sunlit portion, which changes gradually over a synodic month (approximately 29.53 days) as the orbital positions of the Moon around Earth, and Earth around the Sun, shift. The four major lunar phases are new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter, with each phase lasting approximately 7.4 days ± 19 hours.

  • Lunar tides: These are the regular rise and fall of sea levels caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon on Earths oceans.

Overall, lunar is a term used to describe various aspects of the moon and its effects on Earth.