Metonic cycle

E11371

astronomical cycle lunar-solar cycle

The Metonic cycle is a 19-year astronomical period after which the phases of the Moon recur on the same days of the solar year, forming the basis for many lunisolar calendars.

Observed surface forms (3)

Surface form	Occurrences
Athenian calendar reform	1
Attic calendar	1
Metonic cycle used in later calendar computations	1

Statements (44)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	astronomical cycle ⓘ lunar-solar cycle ⓘ
appliesTo	phases of the Moon ⓘ solar year ⓘ
approximateEquality	19 tropical years ≈ 235 synodic months ⓘ
approximationError	about 1 day in 219 years ⓘ about 2 hours per 19-year cycle ⓘ
calendarBasisFor	19-year Hebrew calendar cycle ⓘ distribution of leap months in many lunisolar calendars ⓘ distribution of leap years in Hebrew calendar ⓘ
category	astronomical timekeeping ⓘ calendar cycles ⓘ
discoveredBy	Meton of Athens ⓘ
discoveredInCentury	5th century BCE ⓘ
firstUsedIn	classical Greek astronomy ⓘ
hasComponent	12 common years with 12 lunar months each ⓘ 7 leap years with 13 lunar months each ⓘ
hasDuration	about 19 years ⓘ about 6940 days ⓘ
hasPeriod	19 tropical years ⓘ approximately 235 synodic months ⓘ
hasProperty	nearly commensurate lunar and solar periods ⓘ phases of Moon recur on nearly same calendar dates after 19 years ⓘ
hasTypeOfMonth	synodic month ⓘ
hasTypeOfYear	tropical year ⓘ
influenced	medieval calendar calculations ⓘ structure of ecclesiastical lunar tables ⓘ
isApproximationOf	true relation between lunar months and solar years ⓘ
namedAfter	Meton of Athens ⓘ
relatedTo	Callippic cycle ⓘ Paschal cycle ⓘ surface form: Easter computus Saros cycle ⓘ
totalCommonYears	12 ⓘ
totalLeapYears	7 ⓘ
totalMonths	235 lunar months ⓘ
usedFor	aligning lunar months with solar year ⓘ designing leap-month patterns in lunisolar calendars ⓘ predicting recurrence of lunar phases on same calendar dates ⓘ
usedIn	Babylonian calendar ⓘ Hebrew calendar ⓘ ancient Greek lunisolar calendars ⓘ ecclesiastical lunar calculations ⓘ lunisolar calendars ⓘ traditional Chinese calendar ⓘ

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Meton of Athens → associatedWith → Metonic cycle ⓘ

this entity surface form: Athenian calendar reform

Eleusinian Mysteries → calendar → Metonic cycle ⓘ

this entity surface form: Attic calendar

Hebrew calendar → followsCycle → Metonic cycle ⓘ

Meton of Athens → hasConceptNamedAfter → Metonic cycle ⓘ

Meton of Athens → knownFor → Metonic cycle ⓘ

Meton of Athens → legacy → Metonic cycle ⓘ

this entity surface form: Metonic cycle used in later calendar computations