maankalendermaanden

Maankalendermaanden, also known as lunar months, are divisions of time based on the cycles of the Moon's phases. The most common type is the synodic month, which is the period from one new moon to the next. This typically lasts about 29.53 days. Historically, many cultures used lunar calendars, or lunisolar calendars that incorporated lunar months alongside solar years, to track time for agricultural, religious, and social purposes.

The phases of the Moon, from new moon to full moon and back to new moon, are caused by the changing angles at which we view the sunlit portion of the Moon as it orbits the Earth. While the synodic month is the most widely recognized lunar month, other lunar cycles exist, such as the sidereal month, which is the time it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth with respect to the stars, lasting approximately 27.32 days. The length of a maankalendermaand can vary slightly due to the elliptical orbit of the Moon.