How long is a "Moon" anyway?

[Jangocoolguy 433]

It's happened several time throughout the show where they gave a measurement of time as "(something) moons". "100 moons" in Apple Famiy Reunion, "A thousand moons' in the Party Pooped, and now "20 moons" and "80 moons" in the latest episode (along with some others).

 

Though it makes me curious: how long is that supposed to mean?

 

I realize that it's just a show for little girls and I should really just relax, but I'm still curious.

 

One thing I remember is people saying that it was over 8 years between Apple reunions, but that just doesn't really seem to be the case.

 

Thoughts?

[redaxted 1,765]

I think that one moon is likely equal to one moon cycle, which lasts approximately 29.5 days. I think it's probably the space of time between each new moon.   But that's just my guess, I suppose. Don't really know.

Edited September 25, 2016 by Wolves

[That Guy with the CMB 5,876]

Well, basically they said the moon's cycle, but then it was said to be undetermined. So our most solid answer is however long it takes for the moon to complete its cycle around whatever planet Equestria is on.

[BlinkZ 1,151]

Yeah moons are very confusing consider it is 30 days cycles for moons than the reunion happen like yearly.  Just remeber seaosn 1-3 are all in the same year.. now that mind boggling.

[Chuckles4lyfe 441]

Check out the MLP wiki here on the subject of "moons": http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Moons

 

According to Jayson Thiessen, a moon is a unit of time with no human equivalent. Take that however you want 

[ggg-2 3,555]

Well, the word "month" comes from moon so, around that long?

[Foxy Socks 2,603]

Well I would assume month or sometbing simular. Sometimes they can exaggerate it, so it may not really be that many.

[PoisonClaw 8,174]

"Moons" seems to be just shorthand for "an arbitrarily long amount of time" or "a really, really long time." Want something to sound like it'll take a long time, it'll be "X number of Moons." 

 

The show writers have said that Moons have no value, the closest we got was that the portal on EQG opens every thirty moons, and, unless the portal opened up more than once before the events of the first movie, Sunset was in the human world for at least 2 1/2 - 3 years. In the commentary, Meghan McCharthy said six moons passed between films, but she likely made that number up on the spot to indicate several months have passed. If that was the case though, Applejack's family reunion would happen every ten years, and we've seen more than one subsequent reunion since. 

Edited September 25, 2016 by PoisonClaw

[Jangocoolguy 433]

Oh. Okay then. Sounds like case another case of them thinking "Eh, the kids won't think much of it".  

 

Nevermind. Sorry, everyone, sorry.

[CT-1138 3,184]

I take "moon" to refer to one lunar cycle, so about 30 days, aka a month.

[Luminance 2,187]

Too ponies, a Moon may actually be a very long time according to them and puts their moon at a distant more than earth's moon in that retrospect. We may actually not not how long it takes to complete the Equestrian moon cycle.

[The Coffee Pony 1,390]

I'd say a month given that's generally how long a lunar cycle is.

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

Long enough that the writers can say a lot of time has past without needing to be specific or keep track of an internal time line. 

[azbat 311]

My headcanon 1 moon = 1 week

I believe that a moon refers to each phase of a lunar cycle. If you look at a calendar there are 4 or 5 moons each month, one for each phase.  That would make the reunions every two years which seems more reasonable. I don't think Applejack would fall behind nearly seven years on her scrape book considering how many she has done, a year and an half maybe.

[Sparklefan1234 180,355]

I think it's a month because in Equestria Girls Princess Luna says and I quote:

 

"On the third day, when the moon reaches its peak in the night sky, the gateway will close. And once it does, it will be another thirty moons before you will be able to use it to return."

[Twilight Frost 271]

Yeah moons are very confusing consider it is 30 days cycles for moons than the reunion happen like yearly.  Just remeber seaosn 1-3 are all in the same year.. now that mind boggling.

 

1 year? How do you know this? 

Too ponies, a Moon may actually be a very long time according to them and puts their moon at a distant more than earth's moon in that retrospect. We may actually not not how long it takes to complete the Equestrian moon cycle.

 

"TO" not too

 

Examples 

 

"To" the editor I would like to address a very serious issue we are having. 

 

 

There have been "too" many power outages happening in our area over the last couple of months. 

[Phanact 333]

It's happened several time throughout the show where they gave a measurement of time as "(something) moons". "100 moons" in Apple Famiy Reunion, "A thousand moons' in the Party Pooped, and now "20 moons" and "80 moons" in the latest episode (along with some others).

 

Though it makes me curious: how long is that supposed to mean?

 

I realize that it's just a show for little girls and I should really just relax, but I'm still curious.

 

One thing I remember is people saying that it was over 8 years between Apple reunions, but that just doesn't really seem to be the case.

 

Thoughts?

 

I like to think its a period of time which the moon changes, like from full back to full. 

[Knightgem 158]

Well let's assume that a 'moon' is a month. I don't recall any mention of the word 'year' until Twilight figures out Nightmare Moons return or indeed the imprisonment of the crystal ponies. So maybe a 'moon' is measured as months, but a year is only measured every thousand years.  I may be wrong, but we don't hear 'moons' going in to quad digits (do we?)
So every thousand years a new cycle begins. Making not only the princeesses thousands of years old, but our beloved ponies hundreds.

[cmarston1 5,964]

I don't know and I don't care anymore. They make the passage of time in the show too confusing.

[Luminance 2,187]

A Equestrian moon is anytime...or the time between hiatuses seem rather more plausible.

 

@@Twilight Frost, opps I meant "To" not "Too".

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,825]

1 moon could possibly be a month in Equestrian time. 

[BlinkZ 1,151]

1 year? How do you know this? 

 

Well in season 4 opener ..that one wit hte pluber vines. Celetia says it the first sun celebration with Luna back thus 1-3 seasons all take place in one whole year. 

[Xeltor23 704]

It's probably like how many others put it, a moon is just a moon cycle

[KatonRyu 1,036]

In my headcanon a moon is one month, or 30 days because I'm lazy and it's easy to count with. In the show proper it's just an arbitrary designation of time. At the very least this one sounds like a length of time, unlike Star Wars with its 'less than 12 parsecs' nonsense. (Or Han was talking out of his ass when he said that, which for him wouldn't be that strange)

[MimicMadness 0]

in Warrior Cats they use the term 'moon' a lot. General consensus readers came to is that it's ~a month, starting on the full moon gathering.

 

so, yeah, its probably around a month