Lunar calendar average length of the synodic month is days. Thus it is convenient if months generally alternate between 29 and 30 days (sometimes termed respectively “"hollow"” and “"full"”). The distribution of "hollow" and "full" months can be determined using continued fractions, and examining successive approximations for the length of the month in terms of fractions of a day. In the list below, after the number of days listed in the numerator, an integer number of months as listed in the denominator have been completed: These fractions can be used to construct a lunar calendar, or in combination with a solar calendar
Lunar month days. The Moon completes one orbit around Earth every 27.3 days (a sidereal month), but due to Earth's orbital motion around the Sun, the Moon does not yet finish a synodic cycle until it has reached the point in its orbit where the Sun is in the same relative position. This table lists the average lengths of five types of astronomical lunar month. These are not constant, so a first-order (linear) approximation of the secular change is provided: Valid for the epoch J2000.0 (1 January 2000 12:00 TT): "Note:" In this table, time is expressed in Ephemeris Time (more precisely