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See Moonblink.

he act or operation of obscuring; the state of being obscured; as, the obscuration of the moon in an eclipse. Sir J. Herschel.

f a star, with a transit instrument and clock; the sun's altitude, or the distance of the moon from a star, with a sextant; the temperature, with a thermometer, etc.

her of the heavenly bodies; -- applied especially to eclipses of stars and planets by the moon, and to the eclipses of satellites of planets by their primaries.

Concealed by the intervention of some other heavenly body, as a star by the moon.

The position or aspect of a heavenly body, as the moon or a planet, when half way between conjunction, or opposition, and quadrature, or distant from another body 45 degrees.

A reflection of a milky or pearly light from the interior of a mineral, as in the moonstone; the state or quality of being opalescent.

Of or pertaining to vision or sight. The moon, whose orb Through optic glass the Tuscan artist views. Milton.

periodical revolution around another body; as, the orbit of Jupiter, of the earth, of the moon.

Rising, as the sun. Moon, that now meet'st the orient sun. Milton.

ceiling or roof; in the story or upon the floor above; in the zenith. While overhead the moon Sits arbitress. Milton.

Not bright or brilliant; of a faint luster or hue; dim; as, the pale light of the moon. The night, methinks, is but the daylight sick; It looks a little paler. Shak.

he coral reefs of certain of the Pacific Islands. A little before the last quarter of the moon in October and November, they swarm in vast numbers at the surface of the sea for breeding, and are gathered and highly esteemed as food by the natives. An allied species inhabits the tropical Atlantic and swarms in June or J…

culars or in all essential points; resemblance; similarity. Twixt earthly females and the moon All parallels exactly run. Swift.

A mock moon; an image of the moon which sometimes appears at the point of intersection of two lunar halos. Cf. Parhelion.

a part only; not general or universal; not total or entire; as, a partial eclipse of the moon. "Partial dissolutions of the earth." T. Burnet.

The act or state of passing through any space; as, the peragration of the moon in her monthly revolution. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Pertaining to the perigee. Perigean tides, those spring tides which occur soon after the moon passes her perigee.

That point in the orbit of the moon which is nearest to the earth; -- opposed to Ant: apogee. It is sometimes, but rarely, used of the nearest points of other orbits, as of a comet, a planet, etc. Called also epigee, epigeum.

th respect to quantity of illumination or form of enlightened disk; as, the phases of the moon or planets. See Illust. under Moon.