Lunar New Year

Today marks the Lunar New Year which is always celebrated on a new moon.  I love the idea of a lunar calendar where the months are organized around the moon cycle instead of the solar calendar we use here in the West.

Seems a perfect time to study the moon! There's a great Moon Phases Calendar at almanac.com that gives detailed moon times based on your zip code and explains the different phases.  With the new moon just yesterday, today's waxing crescent shows only 1% illumination.  There's also a guide to the rising and setting times based on the moon's phase. Since today's moon is in the waxing crescent phase I can expect it to be highest in the sky during the afternoon. This helps plan activities like hunting, planting, and spellwork by the moon.