[guide-user] FW: Winter solstice

S O'Leary Dec 17, 1999

My brother in Houston forwarded this.
RE: FW: Winter solstice


I guess you knew this anyway, but it was news to me...not much chance of
snow where we are, but you might be luckier(!)...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Goetz, L. K.
> Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 1999 9:01 AM
> To: Smalley, Stephen; O'Leary, John; Burggraf, Dan R.; Coral, Mario;
> Krenov, Mike (Houston); Axtmann, Terry C.
> Subject: FW: Winter solstice
>
>
> Pretty neat!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Baganz, Terry (O.W)
> Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 1999 8:05 AM
> To: Thompson, Dwight A.; Lockley, Martin; Hassell, Mike; Goetz, L. K.;
> Spangler, Michael; Oehler, John H.
> Subject: FW: Winter solstice
>
> Found this interesting.
>
> Thanks,
> Terry
> Advanced Exploration Organization
> OF 3096 281-293-2200
> Fax: 281-293-1333
> Email: terry-o.w.baganz@...
> ETN: 639-2200
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stephen Sloper [SMTP:ssloper@...]
> Sent: December 14, 1999 2:41 PM
> To: Everyone
> Subject: Winter solstice
>
> For the first time in the life of anyone around today, we'll see a full
> moon occur on the Winter solstice, December 22nd, commonly called the
> first day of Winter. Since a full moon on the Winter solstice occurs in
> conjunction with a lunar perigee (point in the moon's orbit that is
> closest to Earth), the moon will appear about 14% larger than it does at
> apogee (the point in its elliptical orbit that is farthest from the
> Earth). 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 it brighter. Also, this will be the closest
> perigee of the Moon of the year since the moon's orbit is constantly
> deforming. If the weather is clear and there is a snow cover where you
> live, it is believed that even car headlights will be superfluous.
> In layman's terms: It will be a super bright full moon, much more than
> usual 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.