Re: FW: enjoy, brothers and sisters...
jason varsoke (jjv@caesun.msd.ray.com)
Wed, 22 Dec 1999 12:19:32 -0500 (EST)
On Wed, 22 Dec 1999, DEEN, JASON(RPT) wrote:
>
> This year there will be a full moon on the winter solstice,
> December 22. Since this full moon will occur in conjunction with a lunar
> perigee (the point in the moon's elliptical orbit that is closest to Earth),
> the moon will appear about 14% larger than it does at apogee (the point in
> its orbit that is farthest from the Earth). Also, this will be the closest
> perigee of the moon this year (the moon's orbit is constantly deforming).
> Since the Earth is also several million miles closer to the sun at this time
> of the year than in the summer, sunlight striking the moon is about 7%
> stronger, making the moonlight brighter. If the weather is clear and there
> is a snow cover where you live, it is believed that even car headlights will
> be superfluous.
> On December 21st, 1866 the Lakota Sioux took advantage of
> this combination of occurrences and staged a devastating retaliatory ambush
> on soldiers in the Wyoming Territory.
except for the whole bit about the Sioux attacking during the day, not at
night [NPR].
> In laymen's terms, it will be a super bright full moon, AND
> it hasn't happened this way for 133 years! Our ancestors 133 years ago saw
> this. Our descendants 100 or so years from now will see this again.
this is also incorrect as per an article in S&T:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/pr_991217brightmoon.html
though, it would have been nice.
Other things that are true:
November 19, 1999 was the last completely odd day we'll have in a while
11/19/1999 (all digits are odd)
won't happen again until 1/1/3111
Last all even date we had was 8/28/888
next one is 2/2/2000
gotta love numbers.
-j