A selenoscope is an analog instrument that accurately observes the phase of the Moon on any given day of any year within a 19-year period.
Put the straigth edge of the middle piece at the beginning of the desired yearʼs box (line on the left of the year). Then move the calendarʼs flap to align the month with the day. Then, the moon phase corresponding to the selected date shows up on the bean-like window.
Note: January and February are repeted, because the moon varies in these months in leap years (years of 366 days: all the years labeled with a b in brackets)
Thus, January and February located under short markers are to be used for leap years, and those under long markers are for non-leap years.
Virtual selenoscope for predicting the phase of the Moon.