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Astral Atlas
Wiki concept · Time & location

Lunation

Also called lunations

A lunar cycle from one new moon to the next. Its average length is about 29.53 days; a traditional calendar may use its own modeled lunation rather than a modern observed event.

In this entry

Word origin · etymology

Middle English through French and Medieval Latin.

Lunation is traced through Middle English lunacioun and French forms to Medieval Latin lunatio, built on Latin luna, moon.

Merriam-Webster · lunation, definition and word history ↗

How we know · epistemology

Astronomical cycle and calendar model

An observed lunar cycle and a traditional computational month are related concepts, not automatically identical numerical objects. Phugpa month arithmetic uses the constants and correction rules of its specified model.

Merriam-Webster · lunation, definition and word history ↗Svante Janson · Tibetan calendar mathematics ↗

Connected concepts

Terms used in this explanation

These links connect subjects and terminology. They do not establish a shared historical origin.

Sources & provenance

Use the citations beside each section to distinguish a calculation convention, a historical teaching and an editorial example.

Find these sources across the wiki →

  1. Merriam-Webster · lunation, definition and word history ↗
  2. Svante Janson · Tibetan calendar mathematics ↗