Maybe a moon is a lot shorter than we thought.

[melody5697 195]

So most people assume a moon is a month, right? Well, on Friday I went to my first ever brony meetup, and somebody there had a theory that I think is probably correct. He noticed that the moon doesn't seem to have phases in Equestria. We've only seen full moons (except for Luna's cutie mark). So he thinks a moon is actually only one day. This actually makes sense. Applejack said that all those relatives Twilight met at the Summer Sun Celebration were only there for the Apple Family Reunion. (I think she said that in Applebuck Season.) The Apple Family Reunion is held every 100 moons. If a moon was a month, that would mean over eight years would've passed between the first episode and Apple Family Reunion. (Or it could be a mistake.) But if a moon is only a day, it makes a lot more sense. (There could've been some in between that we didn't see.) And remember in Granny Smith's scrapbook there was a picture of the reunion before the one in the episode Apple Family Reunion and nopony looked significantly younger in the picture? That means it couldn't have been very long or Apple Bloom would've been way smaller in that picture. So what do you people think?

[Vulcan 3,255]

this is an interesting Idea,

 

One thing to note is that the moon can't work the same way it does on our world.

Scientifically speaking,

The moon's phases occur due to the Sun's illumination at varying angles. 

this is important because in equestria, the sun doesn't move behind the moon,

where does it go? we don't know

but this would mean that the moon's illumination even at full moon 

would have had to come from an alternate source and thus would not be

bound by the same laws of physics that create the moon's phaes on our human earth

It would be entirely possible for the moon to have only one phase in their world.

 

Why does the apple family reunite every 3 months?

Why does Luna's cutie mark have

a scientifically impossible phenomena in their world? 

Where does their Sun go at night?

 

This brings up more questions than it answers..

[Miles 2,512]

In all honesty, I'm going to just say it seems more to be an error in continuity.  We still know that they have "years" - and we know that they go through all 4 seasons, too.

Take in mind this tidbit: Rainbow Dash's cake had 21 candles.  It was an obvious implication of her age, at least I believe. 

 

So, I'm not sure if there is a way to figure out whether or not "one moon" is the same as a day, or not.

~ Miles

Edit: Addition...

There is also what seems to be a Pub in Ponyville:

So, with RD turning 21, it would make sense that their years are the same as ours.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Miles

[melody5697 195]

 

this is an interesting Idea,

 

One thing to note is that the moon can't work the same way it does on our world.

Scientifically speaking,

The moon's phases occur due to the Sun's illumination at varying angles. 

this is important because in equestria, the sun doesn't move behind the moon,

where does it go? we don't know

but this would mean that the moon's illumination even at full moon 

would have had to come from an alternate source and thus would not be

bound by the same laws of physics that create the moon's phaes on our human earth

It would be entirely possible for the moon to have only one phase in their world.

 

Why does the apple family reunite every 3 months?

Why does Luna's cutie mark have

a scientifically impossible phenomena in their world? 

Where does their Sun go at night?

 

This brings up more questions than it answers..

 

The sun only moves behind the moon when there's a solar eclipse. Sounds like you aren't too good at astronomy. When I held up my Princess Luna plushie and pointed out that she has a crescent moon cutie mark, one guy said that maybe Luna just doesn't like crescent moons for some reason. But even if the moon does have phases, that doesn't mean a moon can't be a day. Meeting up every 3 months makes a lot more sense than meeting up every 100 months. The idea of one moon being one day and there not being phases doesn't bring up the question of where the Sun goes at night. That question was there from the beginning.

 

In all honesty, I'm going to just say it seems more to be an error in continuity.  We still know that they have "years" - and we know that they go through all 4 seasons, too.

 

Take in mind this tidbit: Rainbow Dash's cake had 21 candles.  It was an obvious implication of her age, at least I believe. 

 

 

So, I'm not sure if there is a way to figure out whether or not "one moon" is the same as a day, or not.

 

~ Miles

 

Edit: Addition...

 

There is also what seems to be a Pub in Ponyville:

 

 

 

 

So, with RD turning 21, it would make sense that their years are the same as ours.

What does the fact that they have years have to do with the length of a moon?

[Vulcan 3,255]

 

 

The sun only moves behind the moon when there's a solar eclipse. Sounds like you aren't too good at astronomy. When I held up my Princess Luna plushie and pointed out that she has a crescent moon cutie mark, one guy said that maybe Luna just doesn't like crescent moons for some reason. But even if the moon does have phases, that doesn't mean a moon can't be a day. Meeting up every 3 months makes a lot more sense than meeting up every 100 months. The idea of one moon being one day and there not being phases doesn't bring up the question of where the Sun goes at night. That question was there from the beginning.

 

 

The sun only moves behind the moon when there's a solar eclipse.

 

That was a poor choice of wording on my part, The moon's phases occur due to it's position between the sun and earth,

On our world , earth revolves around the sun but because the sun and moon revolve around the Equestrian planet, They may not have the same moon cycle as our earth or none at all.

Also, The sun can be positioned behind the moon and not cause a solar eclipse. A lunar eclipse, Waxing crescent, Waning crescent , and New moon can also occur under those conditions. 

 

 

When I held up my Princess Luna plushie and pointed out that she has a crescent moon cutie mark, one guy said that maybe Luna just doesn't like crescent moons for some reason.

 

Given how Moon phases work in our world, perhaps there was a time long before Luna was banished to the moon where celestia's sun traveled at angles behind or in front of the moon, causing the Lunar phases,  but that's all just head canon. 

[melody5697 195]

The sun only moves behind the moon when there's a solar eclipse.

 

That was a poor choice of wording on my part, The moon's phases occur due to it's position between the sun and earth,

On our world , earth revolves around the sun but because the sun and moon revolve around the Equestrian planet, They may not have the same moon cycle as our earth or none at all.

Also, The sun can be positioned behind the moon and not cause a solar eclipse. A lunar eclipse, Waxing crescent, Waning crescent , and New moon can also occur under those conditions. 

 

 

When I held up my Princess Luna plushie and pointed out that she has a crescent moon cutie mark, one guy said that maybe Luna just doesn't like crescent moons for some reason.

 

Given how Moon phases work in our world, perhaps there was a time long before Luna was banished to the moon where celestia's sun traveled at angles behind or in front of the moon, causing the Lunar phases,  but that's all just head canon. 

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth is in between the sun and the moon and all three line up perfectly.

[sweetolebob18 728]

You mean the moon is directly between the earth & the sun so its shadow falls on the earth.

 

There is not a lot on time in the show (hey, it's a kids' cartoon).  In the pilot, the sun doesn't rise when Celestia is MIA after Nightmare Moon shows up (captured or hiding?).  This shows they are not just claiming credit for a natural phenomenon.  In Princess Twilight, the moon & sun are both in the sky at once & the ponies freak showing this is not a normal thing (as it would be if their movements were natural).

 

As to "how long?" Well, in the first EQ Girls movie, Celestia says the portal won't reopen for 30 moons (IIRC -can't bear to rewatch it to check) & implies this will be a long time.  In Apple Family Reunion, Granny says every 100 moons & that this is Apple Bloom's 1st.  This contradicts what AJ said (1st season, Apple Buck Season (?ICR)) about the pilot being a reunion.  Apple Bloom was in the pilot & old enough she would have remembered being there, so 2-1 AJ misspoke herself.  Yes, there were a LOT of Apples there, No it wasn't an official reunion.

 

Of course, this means either

1)AB is 8 years old (or younger).  Seems a little young to be the last in her class to get her Cutie Mark

2) AB wasn't at the last reunion (travelling w her parents, perhaps)

3) AB was at the previous reunion.  She was just so young she forgot it.  Granny has been to (IMO) at least 8 or 9 reunions & maybe as many as 12 or 13. They probably get a bit muddled for her. She had a bit of a "senior moment" about AB's age.  (I tend to go w this explanation)  

[Malinter 3,064]

 

 

In the pilot, the sun doesn't rise when Celestia is MIA after Nightmare Moon shows up (captured or hiding?).  This shows they are not just claiming credit for a natural phenomenon.

 

The sun and moon of equestria do rise and set of their own accord but apparently they do so at random and at very inconvientent times (such as not at all, for months at a time or as we've seen both at the same time.)

[UnknownFry 169]

It seems like a moot point for the most part given that it already has been stated there is no human equivalent for the term moon according to one of the staff member.

[SilverComet 170]

It seems like a moot point for the most part given that it already has been stated there is no human equivalent for the term moon according to one of the staff member.

 

A "moon" in Equestria is probably the time it takes for the ~silver celestial object raised at night~ to rotate on itself once [this is also exactly the same time it takes for The Moon to translate around Earth and rotate over itself].

 

The reason it takes 30 "moons" for the Portal to reconect by itself to Equestria, is probably because of some of alignment (with the "star" that got eclipsed at the end of the first Equestria Girls Movie); is required based on "Synodic Months"; instead of "Siderean Days" or "Solar Years".

 

The "reunion" of Apple family relatives of the Pilot [s1E01] was just for the local members living in the nearby zones of Ponyville, taking the oportunity to participate in a very special event for the town (Princess Celestia raising the Sun there instead of Canterlot); one that may be the first in their lives (or maybe the only one, since there are many cities in Equestria based on the "Princess Spike" episode [s5E10]).

[UnknownFry 169]

That is an Interesting theory  .

[Vulcan 3,255]

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth is in between the sun and the moon and all three line up perfectly.

Oh right , my bad o____o

 

eh, it's 3 outta 4 , That's like a C+

[Unikitty 1,212]

In all honesty, I'm going to just say it seems more to be an error in continuity.  We still know that they have "years" - and we know that they go through all 4 seasons, too.

 

Take in mind this tidbit: Rainbow Dash's cake had 21 candles.  It was an obvious implication of her age, at least I believe. 

 

 

So, I'm not sure if there is a way to figure out whether or not "one moon" is the same as a day, or not.

 

 

I don't quite know what's going on here, but i just wanted to point out my disagreement with this thought process.

The cake isn't 2D. We might only see one angle, but it's pretty well established that it exists in a 3D plane. Therefore, it is more likely that the candles run equidistantly around the whole cake. On top of that, each layer goes up by a factor of one. Evenly placed, without any other factor to infer they relate to a specific number(age, in this instant). Rainbow Dash also flies right around the cake, further implicating that the candles aren't solely on the angle we see.

[TerminalObsession 250]

I just had a dumb idea! What if a moon in Equestria is a lunar cycle, but lunar cycles are much shorter, lasting a week? The term "week" would be slang, while "moon" is an ancient term held up for the sake of tradition, generally used in lore. After all, Lesson Zero pretty much confirms that episodes happen weekly in Equestria too (She's upset that a week has gone by without a friendship problem to solve) so if a moon was a week, then the moon would always be full when an episode is going on.

 

Correct any mistakes I make, I'm just throwing this idea out there.

[sweetolebob18 728]

As to the candles on Dash's cake.  In Pinkie's Pride (season 4) Dash tells Pinkie she came to town on her birthday.  IMO, Dash joined the Wonderbolts as soon as possible.  That makes her 18 in Wonderbolt Accadamy & 19 in Pinkie's Pride.  IMO, the cake was drawn with more artistic license than strict accuracy.  19 candles for age, 2 for the anniversary & no unseen candles.  As to "Why didn't Pinkie already know Dash's birthday was the day she came to town?"  Before Griffon the Brush Off, Dash was not very close to Pinkie & didn't talk to her much.  Her 18th birthday, she was so excited about joining the Wonderbolts, she didn't mention it.

 

Sparky

As to 1 week = 1 moon.  Maybe.  In the EQ Girls movie, the 30 moons would equal = about 7 months.  Not 2 & 1/2 years, but still longer than Celestia would want Twilight gone.  This would make the Apple Family Reunions  about every 2 years & not every 8+ years & certainly  a more reasonable time for family reunions.

 

This still leaves the problem of "Why did Granny tell Apple Bloom 'This is your 1st reunion' ?" Maybe it was just Granny getting muddled again, but it seems like AB would know  if she had been to a reunion before.