![]() The perigee and apogee cycle (the anomalistic month) lasts, on average, 27.55 days and recurs as the Moon moves back and forth between the nearest (perigee) and farthest (apogee) extremes of its elliptical orbit ( Fig. The lunar standstill cycle (the tropical month) lasts 27.32 days and arises from the declination of the Moon’s orbit relative to the plane of Earth’s equator, which causes the Moon to move back and forth between its northernmost and southernmost positions in the sky ( Fig. S1C see also undulating lines of full and new moon in the raster plots). Since the Moon and Earth do not move at constant speed in their elliptical orbits, the synodic period varies between 29.27 and 29.83 days (fig. The full moon/new moon luminance cycle (the synodic month) repeats, on average, every 29.53 days as the Moon moves through its two points of alignment (syzygies) with the Earth and Sun ( Fig. The Moon exhibits three different cycles that affect moonlight intensity and gravity on Earth and that are illustrated in Fig. Nevertheless, the scientific community generally remains skeptical of reports of lunar influence on human biology ( 19). More recent findings indicate that the elevation of births at the full moon occurs during the night, whereas births at the new moon tend to occur during the daytime ( 18). Two systematic large longitudinal studies carried out between 19 and between 19 and encompassing around 250,000 and 500,000 births, respectively, found that birth rates were elevated by 2 to 3% over the average at full moon and reduced by the same amount during new moon ( 16, 17). Significant correlations also appear to exist between birth rate and moon phase. However, no correlation between menses onset and the lunar cycle was found in other studies that did not select for a cycle length of 29.5 days. Each of these studies comprised >300 women, and the tests were performed in different years and seasons. Among populations of women selected for a cycle length of 29.5 ± 1 days, a significant pattern of menses onset at full moon emerged ( 13– 15). ![]() In these studies, about 28% of reproductively mature women showed a cycle length of 29.5 ± 1 days. Women whose cycles approach the ~29.5-day period of the Moon have been reported to have the highest likelihood to become pregnant ( 10– 12). In light of this fact, it is of interest that the human menstrual cycle has a period close to that of the lunar cycle and that several older studies report a relation between the cycles. This arrangement increases reproductive success by synchronizing the reproductive behavior of the individual members of a species. In many marine species ( 1– 5) and some terrestrial species ( 6– 9), reproductive behavior is synchronized with a particular phase of the lunar cycle (often full or new moon). ![]()
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