Good Morning all, today’s lecture covers some simple planetary mechanics and some great timing.
Terms:
perigee: point nearest to orbited object: the point in the orbit of a satellite, moon, or planet at which it comes nearest to the object it is orbiting [ Late 16th century. Via French < late Greek perigeion < perigeios "close round the earth" < Greek peri "around" + gē "earth" ]
apogee: point in orbit farthest from Earth: the point at which a satellite orbiting an astronomical object is farthest from the center of the object being orbited [ Late 16th century. < French < Greek apogaios "away from the Earth" < gaia "Earth" ]
Tonight, the full moon will be practically at perigee (off by one hour). The moon has two points for perigee and two points for apogee in each rotation around the Earth each 27.3 hours.
The Moon orbits the Earth in an ellipse with an eccentricity of about 0.05 where 0 is a perfect circle and 1.0 is a parabola. 0.05 equates to a perigee point that is 23,000 miles closer than apogee. Or, a 14% larger moon with 30% more brightness tonight.
From our Friends at NASA:
Super Full Moon:
March 16, 2011: Mark your calendar. On March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It’s a super “perigee moon”–the biggest in almost 20 years.
“The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993,” says Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. “I’d say it’s worth a look.”
Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon’s orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee): diagram. Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon’s orbit.
Above: Perigee moons are as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons. [video]“The full Moon of March 19th occurs less than one hour away from perigee–a near-perfect coincidence1 that happens only 18 years or so,” adds Chester.
A perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high “perigean tides,” but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)–not exactly a great flood.
The Moon looks extra-big when it is beaming through foreground objects–a.k.a. “the Moon illusion.”Indeed, contrary to some reports circulating the Internet, perigee Moons do not trigger natural disasters. The “super moon” of March 1983, for instance, passed without incident. And an almost-super Moon in Dec. 2008 also proved harmless.
Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger than usual, but can you really tell the difference? It’s tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon can seem much like any other.
The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On March 19th, why not let the “Moon illusion” amplify a full Moon that’s extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.
Don’t bother. Even a super perigee Moon is still 356,577 km away. That is, it turns out, a distance of rare beauty.
See the ScienceCast of this story on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1yalg_Apdw
Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
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So, if you are going to have some clear skies, it would be worth it to go outside tonight and get a glimpse of that perigee full moon. The full Moon rises at 1953L in the East.
Tags: apogee, full moon, lunar rotation, perigee, saturday lecture series, super full moon
We have clouds.
it will be clear here tonight, so i will be outside for the moonrise.
may the evening be filled with drinking
and howling at the moon!!!!
mawskrat wrote:
brilliant!!! officer’s thinking!
EDITORIAL: Obama’s illegal war
With Thursday’s passage of United Natons Security Council resolution 1973, the United States is set to go to war against Libya. Removing Moammar Gadhafi from power would probably advance the cause of freedom, but the United Nations has no legal authority to take a step of this magnitude. By bowing to the will of the U.N. Security Council, President Obama is diluting the sovereign power of the United States
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/18/obamas-illegal-war/
12:36: Damien McElroy sends the following update from the ground in Libya:
Crowds of Libyan citizens are converging on targets which France is expected to attack, Libya’s state-run Jana news agency reported on Saturday. This could mean human shields in the line of danger, which would complicate the picture considerably.
12.47 The snap summit bringing together US, European, Arab and African leaders in Paris to decide on possible military action against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces has begun, wires agencies report.
classic. i sure hope the brits/french enjoy this.
NoThreat2U wrote:
It is reported here in Europe that British special forces have unstrained Libya weeks ago to mark the targets for the air forces. Long before the UN-resolution 1973 was accepted.
let the KSA take care of this crap
@ NoThreat2U:
hand over power to thje ‘international community’
i expect nothing less from a third world liberation punk
NoThreat2U wrote:
so where are all the left wing professional war protesters?
Guggi wrote:
well, that is to be expected as part of operational planning.
I can honestly say, I am at a loss for words. I just cannot believe what this man is doing to this country. All I can do is sit here and shake my head.
@ NoThreat2U:
He is, without doubt, the worst President we have ever had. Worse than James Buchannan, and that takes some doing. The only thing left is for some States to secede to get away from it. I think the fiscally responsible States may eventually do just that. Not by the end of Obama’s term, but when Obama’s policies have carried themselves to their logical conclusion and the Federal government begins to collapse under the debt load.
coldwarrior wrote:
Seems they unstrained Libya BEFORE the unrests.
Can’t wait for that big full moon tonight. My knuckles are getting hairy with anticipation.
O-dawg is simply an embarrassment. Here’s Mark Stein’s latest rant on the golfer-in-chief.
@ Iron Fist:
He has just handed us over to UN authority. Why are we letting him get away with this. And he is out of the country at the moment. Coincidence? I think not.
Guggi wrote:
yes, and i would expect that targets be selected and reviewed often, regardless of what is going on. contingeny planing is a large part of what defense departments do, regardless of peace or war
BBL….installing a sprinkler system
in the flower gardens
mawskrat wrote:
ooooh!
do mine next!
mawskrat wrote:
I’ve got outdoor duties meself. Clean out some shrub beds and put in new mulch. If I can get all of that done, I think I’ll take Big Red out on the town.
Later
13.35 Worth repeating here is Al Jazeera’s translation of the letter, read out earlier today, from Col Gaddafi to Barack Obama, the US President.
“To our son, his excellency, Mr Baracka Hussein Obama. I have said to you before, that even if Libya and the United States of America enter into a war, god forbid, you will always remain a son. Your picture will not be changed. I want you to remain in the same image. I have all the people of Libya with me, and I’m prepared to die and we have all the men, children and women with me. Nothing more. Al Qaeda is an armed organisation, passing through Algeria, Mauritania and Mali. What would you do if you found them controlling American cities with the power of weapons? What would you do, so I can follow your example.”
as has been pointed out, many of these rebs are al-Q.
so now we fight for the same people that did 9-11?
@ coldwarrior:
Thanks for editing that post. I wasn’t sure if that was what he was insinuating or not. So why are we not backing Q-daffy? You’re right, this is a clusterf*ck.
Israel strikes Gaza after massive rocket barrage on south
Hamas claims responsibility for 10 of the more than 50 rockets fired on southern Israel earlier in day; Gaza medics say five Hamas officers and boy injured in Israeli air strike.
I guess Hamas doesn’t want to be the only ones not at the party. Israel should just wipe them off the map
@ Nevergiveup:
dont stop now israel!
Ya know, if Q-daffy is asking what Obama would do if AQ was running rampant in the streets of the US, he wouldn’t like the answer….”Just let them go”.
@ Nevergiveup:
Maybe they figure that since “Mr Baracka Hussein Obama” has started supporting al Qaeda in Libya that he’s going to help them next?
coldwarrior wrote:
Q’daffy makes a fool of zero and all the others in this letter.
coldwarrior wrote:
Yep.
And we (in my case the Europeans) break international law and the European Convention of Human Rights to do this.
NoThreat2U wrote:
many of the rebs are al-Q and radical MO types.
this has been pointed out by several people, i linked to the NRO article on it yesterday.
13.40 Canada supports quick action on Libya and a government spokesman says its jets in the region would require two days to prepare a mission, Reuters reports.
read that as the colonel has 48 hours to ‘get ‘r done!’
Guggi wrote:
amazing.
Nevergiveup wrote:
The problem is that since UN-resolution 1973 the SC could do the same to Israel as ist is doing to Libya. SC-Resolution 1973 is the biggest mess of a resoltuion I’ve ever seen. This is indeed new imperialism.
@ chickadee:
the colonel hasnt stayed in power this long without being at least a pretty bright guy.
Nevergiveup wrote:
Now would be a good time to wipe them off the face of the earth.
@ Guggi:
maybe this is by design?
coldwarrior wrote:
I wrote about it yesterday
coldwarrior wrote:
I’m not in the conspiracy theory business but this was the first that came to my mind.
coldwarrior wrote:
Wisconsin.
@ coldwarrior:
crazy like a fox.
He is abt. surviving.
zero and the rest are confused and worried abt. what move is best for their own image. They are not looking at the reality of this situation. Poor stupid zero is doubly distraught because his mentor/father figure rev wrong and farrakhan are pulling for their friend Q’daffy. This is what happens when you roll around with bad characters. You get up with taint. There is no morality to guide you.
14.17 Several French Rafale fighter jets have overflown “all Libyan territory” on reconnaissance missions, a French military source told the AFP news agency.
Guggi wrote:
i used to ‘collect’ conspiracy theories. had them in a file and backed up.
now i cant find the cd that has the backup…i think the illuminatimasontrilateralsts stole it.
Guggi wrote:
for the record:
Guggi wrote:
@ coldwarrior:
Ludwig eated it…
I should be in bed still.
Bleh
Guggi wrote:
Yes that is my BIG worry. But I think Israel has till after 2012. Obama would not dare do that to Israel till then. And if he is defeated, the time between him leaving office and the election will also be very dangerous for Israel
lobo91 wrote:
How are your knees and your neck doing ?
Guggi wrote:
I’m fine. Just tired.
I’m up because I have a class this morning.
idiots
Worried Californians Purchase Gas Masks, Chemical Suits
tinfoil hats would be more appropriate
Speaking of which, it looks like some of them are here.
Later.
coldwarrior wrote:
I wish I was in that business. Sigh, another opportunity lost
It is a lot of fun to listen to Hugh Hewitt and Mark Steyn basically say on Hewitt’s radio show what Rodan has been saying since before the new session of congress even started. Steyn’s money quote is that Boehner has basically climed into a Bob Dole suit.
@ coldwarrior:
considering that radiation levels as close as 12 miles from the plant are normal for the area. Considering that radiation exposure to things like laundry detergent and bananas are higher than any possible radiation which could possibly reach us from Japan would ever be, yes, they should be wearing tin foil hats. The problem is that these dolts carry, for at least the next year and a half, political clout.
bbl…gotta go to the market.
6 nations rugby championship is on at 1300 on bbcamerica.
england v ireland…will be a great match for those of you that are unfamiliar with the sport, i invite yinz to take a look at it.
@ Nevergiveup:
I agree whole heartedly. Level Gaza, and win this war already. It is costing more lives and is far more brutal to allow it to continue. Roll in full force and shoot what moves. Wars are won by breaking the will of enemy combatants to fight. Right now, Gazans are more afraid of Hamas than Israel. Turn that table, and things will change rather quickly.
@ coldwarrior:
Union or League rules?
I’m watching CNN:100 Sarkozy addressing the World and Obama nowhere to be seen. Abdicating American dominance in the World. Well it only took Obama 2 years. Actually pretty impressive accomplishment
@ Nevergiveup:
*hangs her head in shame*Nah, you know what? I do not hang my head for I feel no shame. That asshole does NOT represent me or my country. And no matter what the polls claim or the left claims, I am willing to bet my life that more people agree with me than don’t.Nevergiveup wrote:
Maybe zero could phone it in from the beach.
Oh noes… the moon is going to crash into the earth…. Billions will die… elevent111111….. (somebody had to say it)
chickadee wrote:
He will not even bother to do that. He couldn’t care less
I think zero is hiding out because he wants to keep a low profile on this. He is not sure which way to go. He is not sure which group of muzz will be worse for us, so he hangs back hoping.
NoThreat2U wrote:
I agree. What is very telling and encouraging is how few High Schools have invited him to speak at their commencements.
This group is his base. Teachers. lol and young naive students forced to sing praises to him.
They have turned their backs on this joker. His jive shit has lost it’s power. Moldy sappy platitudes dribbling from his slogan hole aren’t working any more.
I like big moons and I cannot lie
Good morning. The Dear Leader is now in Brazil for Spring
Break, where he appeared with his Brazilian Marixist
couterpart in the capital Brazilia.
No questions!
Libyan Rebels shoot down their own Mirage Jet fighter, and then cheer over it. If the Libyan rebels have Jet Fighters, then their is absolutely no justifiable excuse on the face of the earth for any outside intervention in the Libyan civil war.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XvwISqREkaU
@ doriangrey:
Hmmm, what happened to the video?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XvwISqREkaU
@ chickadee:
He is falling falling falling…….
Hey, are youtube links disabled or something?
@ RIX:
Media Blackout: Protesters Firebomb US Consulate in Brazil Ahead of Obama Trip
Police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas to break up a demonstration outside the US consulate in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, as US President Barack Obama prepares to visit the country, AFP reports.
Some 300 people had gathered at the site when Brazilian Military Police showed up and tried to break up the demonstration.
Police cracked down on the crowd after protesters hurled a molotov cocktail at the consulate door, the O Globo newspaper reported on its website.
“I was in the center of the protest when people began to run and I heard shots,” said AFP photographer Vanderlei Almeida. “I had to get out of there because it was hard to breathe.”
Almeida was struck by two rubber bullets — one hit him in the leg, and the other in his stomach.
Several protesters were detained, Almeida said.
http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/03/media-blackout-protesters-firebomb-us-consulate-in-brazil-ahead-of-obama-trip/
Ahwoooooooooooooh!
Mr. Wolf, the pups, and I will be out there making beautiful music tonight …. accompanied by our neighbor’s coon hounds, I guess.
NoThreat2U wrote:
wow, Obummer is almost as popular in Brazil as he is here…
@ NoThreat2U:
But, but, but it’s not Chimpy Bushitler. It’s the Lightworker! The great Nobel Laureate! How can they demonstrate against the One?
wolfie wrote:
Cough cough, Bunk has a sprinkler hose for that… Or so I have heard…
@ doriangrey:
coldwarrior wrote:
Theyre all too busy frakking each other’s brains out….
@ doriangrey:
@ wolfie:
Isn’t it just hilarious??? LOL LOL No one can stand him. We need to show the rest of the world that he does not represent your average American. That is my only concern.
wolfie wrote:
Macker wrote:
What? The left have brains to frak out? Who knew? Why am I always the last to find this shit out?
@ NoThreat2U:
I thought that the world would love us, if we just
elected Obama. This is so confusing./
RIX wrote:
Well, they certainly love to mock us for electing him…
@ doriangrey:
Yes they do.
Flyovercountry wrote:
union.
league is for sissies
@ coldwarrior:
A great adaptation of the game would allow you to redirect the flight of the ball on kicks with spud launchers
The Moon revolves around the Earth. It rotates about its axis. The period of each is 27.3 days.
[...] here, via] As explained on this post by Coldwarrior, tonight the moon is at Perigree, and happens to be a full moon as [...]