Southern extreme of the Major standstill?

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StoneLifter S
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 "

M mathrocker
mathrocker Aug 21, 2005 23:37:35
Replying to StoneLifter

Stonelifter, I almost forgot to answer your question. I live in Seattle USA. We are one of the northern most cities in the US, but not as far north as people living in northern Scotland(or England for that matter). I will be sure to keep an eye out on the 22nd of October, but I am sure it will not look as cool as it would to people in the UK and Ireland. As a matter of fact not many people in Seattle are aware that there are megalithic sites in the UK other than Stonehenge. We have a few of Aubrey Burl's book in the Seattle public library, but not many people check them out. I have, on more than one occasion, stunned a few people with this knowledge. Strange isn't it?