Moonshine....

This week there is a tiny crescent moon in the sky - but can YOU tell, just by looking at it, whether it's a new moon or an old moon, whether it's waxing or waning? And does it matter anyway? According to many cultures, there are many things which should only be done under a certain phase of the moon. Take gardening, for example.
It is said that during a waxing moon you should:

• repot your houseplants,
• sow seeds and transplant vegetable crops such as peas, beans, lettuce, cabbage (all 'above ground' crops
  
• plant any fruit trees and bushes
• fertilise all plants

and under a waning moon you should:

• plant bulbs
• sow seeds or plant vegetable crops that grow below the ground, such as potatoes, turnips, onions carrots, beetroot etc

Anyway, back to the original problem - how to tell. Well, help is at hand in the form of a poem by Christina Rossetti:

O Lady Moon.
O Lady Moon, your horns point toward the east:
Shine, be increased;
O Lady Moon, your horns point toward the west:
Wane, be at rest.

In other words, (because the moon travels round the southern sky in the northern hemisphere) if the horns on the moon you are looking at point to the left, it's a new moon; to the right, it's an old moon.

So much moonshine? Try it and see.......