What is a lunar calendar?
“Lunar calendar” can mean a calendar whose months follow lunar cycles, a lunisolar calendar that also stays aligned with seasons, or an astronomical chart that displays Moon phases alongside civil dates. These are related concepts, not interchangeable systems.
Three calendar concepts
- Moon-phase calendar
- Shows astronomical phases and events against dates in a civil calendar.
- Lunar calendar
- Defines months primarily from lunar cycles; rules differ between named calendar traditions.
- Lunisolar calendar
- Uses lunar months and an adjustment system, such as leap months, to remain connected to the solar year.
What this site provides
This site provides an astronomical Moon-phase calendar using Gregorian dates and a selected IANA time zone. It does not convert dates into Chinese, Islamic, Hebrew, Mongolian or other named cultural calendars. Those systems require their own definitions, observance rules and validated conversion methods.
Why time zone matters
A phase event is one instant worldwide, but its civil date can differ by location. The phase schedule keeps a UTC source instant and converts it at the display boundary.