Full moon (this usage has been noted as "erroneous" by "Sky & Telescope" in 1999). According to either definition, "blue moons" occur with the average frequency of intercalary months, seven times in 19 years, the "Farmers' Almanac" system of "full moon names" effectively defining a lunisolar calendar. Full moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (more exactly, when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This means that the lunar hemisphere facing Earth – the near
March equinox about 18 hours 11 minutes "earlier" than the previous year. Balancing the increases of the common years against the losses of the leap years keeps the calendar date of the March equinox from drifting more than one day from 20 March each year. The March equinox may be taken to mark the beginning of spring and the end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere but marks the beginning of autumn and the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. In astronomy, the March equinox is the zero point of sidereal time and, consequently, right ascension. It also serves as a