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gorseddphungus G
gorseddphungus Mar 25, 2006 13:34:29
Replying to tuesday

That webpage sums up the concepts of the lunar and solar measuring pretty well. Its measurements must have been crucial for the farmer/settlers in the past, if we also consider some/many megalithic monuments (callanish, recumbents, etc) to be alligned on the moon. The sun is fairly easy to measure from a fixed position during the year, and to mark its movements easy. The harder part was the moon.

In terms of calendars, the pre-christian calendar may have been a 13 month long year, ie one with lunar months of 28 days each, with one day extra every year. That extra day may have been the one devoted to New Year.

C Cursuswalker
Cursuswalker Mar 26, 2006 00:45:05
Replying to gorseddphungus

The other thing about the web-page is that I wrote that article in 2001, at mid-metonic cycle.

2006 is a year of extreme moon rise/set. Unfortunately I forgot to take bearings at the Winter Solstice and have also missed my chance at the last equinox. So at the Summer Solstice I plan to take bearings for both events to determine which extreme it is, which the method I outlined on the web-page cannot tell you.

I could look this all up somewher probably, but it's much more fun to actually collect the data yourself :-)

Just to clarify, in case anyone else wants to help out, I need to know if the Moon is setting 5 degrees north or south of where the Sun is setting this year. This could be determined on any day, so long as a bearing is taken for the place of sunrise/set as well. It's just that this bearing is known at the Solsti and Equinoxes, so no extra bering is needed.

P PeterH
PeterH Mar 26, 2006 11:35:37
Replying to gorseddphungus

"Its measurements must have been crucial for the farmer/settlers in the past"

Why? Farmers plant, sow and reap as the weather and soil conditions dictate. Some years, spring is early and warm - other years it's cold and late. I don't believe that stone circles, lunar and solar observations had any practical use whatsoever other than to give the appearance that the priests were essential to ensure good harvests and returning summers.