Metonic cycle

CycleEuropeanLunisolar
TypeCycle
TraditionEuropean
BasisLunisolar
Introduced / datec. 432 BCE (Meton)
Key figure19 years ≈ 235 lunar months

About the Metonic cycle

The Athenian astronomer Meton observed that 19 solar years are almost exactly 235 lunar months, so moon phases recur on nearly the same dates every 19 years. The Babylonians had used the same relationship. It structures the Hebrew calendar's leap years and the golden numbers of the Christian Easter computus.

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