Editing Month (section)

== Types of months in astronomy ==
{{main|Lunar month}}
The following types of months are mainly of significance in astronomy. Most of them (but not the distinction between sidereal and tropical months) were first recognized in [[Lunar theory#Babylon|Babylonian lunar astronomy]].

# The '''sidereal month''' is defined as the Moon's [[orbital period]] in a non-rotating frame of reference (which on average is equal to its [[rotation period]] in the same frame). It is about 27.32166 days (27&nbsp;days, 7&nbsp;hours, 43&nbsp;minutes, 11.6&nbsp;seconds). It is closely equal to the time it takes the Moon to twice pass a "fixed" [[star]] (different stars give different results because all have a very small [[proper motion]] and are not really fixed in position).
# A '''synodic month''' is the most familiar lunar cycle, defined as the time interval between two consecutive occurrences of a particular phase (such as new moon or full moon) as seen by an observer on Earth. The mean length of the synodic month is 29.53059 days (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 2.8 seconds). Due to the eccentricity of the lunar orbit around Earth (and to a lesser degree, the Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun), the length of a synodic month can vary by up to seven hours.
# The '''tropical month''' is the average time for the Moon to pass twice through the same [[equinox]] point of the sky. It is 27.32158 days, very slightly shorter than the sidereal month (27.32166) days, because of [[precession of the equinoxes]].
# An '''anomalistic month''' is the average time the Moon takes to go from [[perigee]] to perigee—the point in the Moon's orbit when it is closest to Earth. An anomalistic month is about 27.55455 days on average.
# The '''draconic month''', draconitic month, or nodal month is the period in which the Moon returns to the same [[lunar node|node]] of its orbit; the nodes are the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the plane of the Earth's orbit. Its duration is about 27.21222 days on average.

A synodic month is longer than a sidereal month because the Earth-Moon system is orbiting the Sun in the same direction as the Moon is orbiting the Earth.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023|reason=This is a nonobvious proposition.}} The Sun moves eastward with respect to the stars (as does the Moon) and it takes about 2.2 days longer for the Moon to return to the same apparent position with respect to the Sun.

An anomalistic month is longer than a sidereal month because the perigee moves in the same direction as the Moon is orbiting the Earth, one revolution in nine years. Therefore, the Moon takes a little longer to return to perigee than to return to the same star.

A draconic month is shorter than a sidereal month because the nodes move in the opposite direction as the Moon is orbiting the Earth, one revolution in 18.6 years. Therefore, the Moon returns to the same node slightly earlier than it returns to the same star.