Southern extreme of the Major standstill?

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mathrocker M
mathrocker Aug 15, 2005 05:46:41
Replying to StoneLifter

You make me laugh StoneLifter. I just now read your message about the lunar event that will occur on 22nd October. That is interesting because that is the one year anniversary of the last time I went to the UK and Ireland. The main purpose of that trip was to visit Callanish. Maybe I should return to Ireland to view the event take place in the Boyne. Knowing me though, I may not get on that plane heading back to the states. One more thing for FourWinds. I finally figured out why I have not been able to access the site under my old handle geometryastronomy. It was due to the fact that I forgot to add an O in astronomy. My spelling has always been terrible. I just assumed that because I had been inactive on the site my old handle was deleted. I was wrong. Anyway I will just stick with mathrocker. I love geometry and astronomy, but that name is a little long and sounds too goofy. Mathrocker sums me up better anyway. No pun intended with the sums part.

S StoneLifter
StoneLifter Aug 15, 2005 09:09:20
Replying to mathrocker

Yes, when everything gets dead serious you can be sure there are some daft superstitions being attached to the stones...

There's half a dozen people worldwide actually following this moon extremity at the old sites and are rapidly finding that it's not about setting a definite time and place (subject to the vagaries of climate and atmosphere) but more about an era giving way to another (or something like that).

Here's some more from Victor but with my reminder of tonight's very southern moonrise and the morning's very southern moonset. Is there anything to see from the city ?

"Geraldine Murfin-Shaw wrote:
> Tell me about this lunar standstill - what is it we are looking for? If
> this is going tohappen in the afternoon we wont be able to judge the
> moon moving or not against the stars will we - how long is it going to
> stand still?

As with solar standstill, the moon does not really standstill;-) It only
means that on Oct 22 it will follow a quiet northern path in the sky.
It is near the most northern path the moon could do in the sky (and that
is why it is called standstill; it is even more northern then the summer
solstice path).
The moon set is at ~325 degrees (14:30 GMT) and rise on that day is at
~36 degrees (18:00 GMT). It is quarter moon, is it is visible in the
sky, if clouds allow for it;-)
<these figures are for a longitude of Maeshowe/Orkney, actual times will
vary upon location>

Hope this explain it somewhat better.

All the best,


Victor "