Luna

**Luna**, known as the **Moon**, is the major satellite of Earth.

In stories written before and well into the modern era, the Moon is depicted as having air, water, native fauna and intelligent inhabitants. So in the Here Be Dragons universe, it appears that the Moon lost its atmosphere and most lifeforms in some disaster prior to 1969--leaving the lifeless landscape encountered by Neil Armstrong in 1969.

The phases of the Moon affect life on Earth--most notably by provoking involuntary change in lycanthropes when the Moon is full.

## Phases

Luna as viewed from Earth goes through a regular 29.5 day cycle of phases as different sections are illuminated by the Sun--the origin of the calendar month.

* Dark of the Moon: The Moon is entirely dark as seen from Earth--and in any case too close to the Sun to be observed.
* New Moon: Sometimes synonymous with the Dark of the Moon, but can indicate the first visible moon. This phase is usually seen immediately after sunset.
* Waxing Crescent: The classic moon-shaped Moon--and getting bigger. Most often noticed in the early evening after sunset.
* First Quarter: Confusingly, the Quarter Moon is also the Half Moon -- as half of the side turned toward Earth is illuminated. You can tell it's waxing rather than waning because it makes a D shape--in the Northern Hemisphere. This phase should rise around noon and be close to overhead at sunset.
* Waxing Gibbous: More than half illuminated on the Earth-turned side.
* Full Moon: The side visible to Earth is 100 percent illuminated. For purposes of lycanthropy, the nights before and after maximum illumination are also considered full. Many non-werewolves are also affected by the Full Moon.
* Waning Gibbous: Less than full and getting less full.
* Last Quarter. A half moon, but C-shaped (from the Northern Hemisphere). Generally seen late at night.
* Waning Crescent. Appears before dawn.

## Names of Moons

* Wolf Moon – January.
* Snow Moon – February.
* Sap Moon – March.
* Egg Moon – April.
* Flower Moon – May.
* Strawberry Moon – June.
* Thunder Moon – July.
* Sturgeon Moon – August.

* Harvest Moon – September
* Hunter's Moon – October
* Frost Moon – November
* Cold Moon – December

A second full Moon in the same month is known as a Blue Moon.

## Terrain

The Moon's terrain mostly consists of dusty plains dotted with craters, interrupted by broad seas. Until comparatively recent times, these seas held water, but by the Atomic Age they are dry.

### Seas

Sea of Tranquility

Sea of Serenity

Sea of Crises

Sea of Nectar

Ocean of Storms

### Craters

Tycho

Copernicus

### The Dark Side of the Moon

One side of Luna is always turned toward the Earth, a condition known as tidal lock. The side unseen by Earth is known as the Dark Side of the Moon; though it gets as much sunlight as the near side, its nights are darker because they get no reflected light from the Earth.

The Dark Side is the location of the mysterious Blue Area and the hidden Nazi Moon Base.

## Inhabitants

The Moon seems to have been inhabited by more than one kind of intelligent being. Lucian

## Fauna

When the Moon had wildlife, a number of exotic creatures were reportedly found there:

Moonbats

Moondogs

Mooncalves

Selenians

## Characters

The Man in the Moon

Lucian

Cyrano de Bergerac

Baron Munchausen

Hans Pfaal

Doctor Cavour

Tintin

Neil Armstrong

Buzz Aldrin

Alan Shepard

**Wikipedia:** Moon