Calendars and time
Lunar Calendar
Direct answer
Lunar Calendar: A Lunar Calendar organizes months by cycles of lunar phases without requiring the year to remain fixed to the seasons.
A Lunar Calendar bases its months on recurring Moon-phase cycles.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Related
- Calendar, Solar Calendar, Lunisolar Calendar, Coordinated Universal Time
A Lunar Calendar bases its months on recurring Moon-phase cycles.
A cycle or timeline schematic for comparing the named timekeeping concept.
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The story behind Lunar Calendar
Lunar calendars are among the oldest time-reckoning systems because lunar change is conspicuous and repeatable to unaided observers.
Why Lunar Calendar matters
Twelve lunar months are shorter than a solar year, so lunar calendar dates move through the seasons unless an intercalation system is added.
How to read Lunar Calendar
Lunar Calendar applies when a month follows the Moon and distinguish calculated conjunction, first crescent visibility, and local religious practice.
Lunar Calendar in practice: an example
A religious observance in a purely lunar calendar can occur in a different season over a span of civil years.
Where readings of Lunar Calendar go wrong
A common error is to assume every lunar month begins at the astronomical new Moon; observational and tabular rules can differ.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Introduction to Calendars - Calendar definitions and the astronomical basis of solar, lunar, lunisolar, Julian, and Gregorian systems.
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Complete Sun and Moon Data - Authoritative astronomical data services for positions, phases, and rise and set events.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Understand lunar months
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More in Calendars & Timekeeping
- Proleptic Julian Calendar
- Solar Noon
- UTC Offset
- Barycentric Coordinate Time
- Common Era
- Dynamical Time
- Greenwich Mean Time
- Julian Calendar
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Common questions
What is a Lunar Calendar?
A Lunar Calendar organizes months by cycles of lunar phases without requiring the year to remain fixed to the seasons.
What do people get wrong about a Lunar Calendar?
A common error is to assume every lunar month begins at the astronomical new Moon; observational and tabular rules can differ.
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