[Hugh Ferguson]

A fascinating program-recently on T.V.-described in scientific detail the relationship between the moon and planet Earth.
The moon, apparently, does much more than just causing the tide to flood and ebb. It stabilizes our planet and thus we remain inclined at an angle to the sun of 23.5 degrees; known to all those who have wielded a sextant as the angle of declination.
Now it has been scientifically proved that the moon is slowly moving further away from us. It had been suspected that that was happening, but it is now confirmed subsequent to the moon landing of the American astronauts, and the placing of a panel of mirrors capable of reflecting a lazer beam back to Earth.
Apparently, after directing a million "zaps" of a beam of lazer light at the moon they only require one to be reflected in order to ascertain the distance of the moon from planet Earth. It has now been confirmed that the moon is definitely moving away from us at the rate in which your toe nails grow!
This, eventually, will cause the angle of declination to change which will, in time, cause planet Earth to wobble on its axis and, as a result, upset the seasons.

Seeing that program encouraged me to dig out my old sight book as a reminder of how, in the days of celestial navigation, one always needed to apply the angle of declination. The page it fell open at can be viewed in the attachment. It was my last deep sea voyage; I was second mate of the Glenroy and we were a day out of Hong Kong, bound Singapore and, as you can see, the fifteen year old ship could still make 18 knots!

[Pat Kennedy]

I saw that programme as well Hugh.
It wouild appear that unless the human race discovers a way of preventing the moon from retreating, eventually the gravitational field of Jupiter will take over, and to put it bluntly, we are toast!
However, its only retreating at 1.48 inches per year, so it will be a long time before we notice anything... about 4 billion years.
A good article about the TV programme at this link;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12311119

Regards,
Pat

[Keltic Star]

Originally Posted by Hugh Ferguson

.......................
thus we remain inclined at an angle to the sun of 23.5 degrees;

What a relief, I just though I was pissed again.

[Tony D]

I suspect the human race will have been long gone and the entire works and history of humanity reduced just a quarter inch seam in the fossil record long before the Moons distance becomes a problem.

[GWB]

Here's one for you navigators saw a program on Discovery channel ,on Co2 and global warming and man's effect on it. At the end it said the world was warming yes but we are moving towards the sun and will eventually implode on it in 50 million years.
My question is if we are will it not get warmer and are we getting closer to the sun.

[Tony D]

Often read on threads such as this posters saying they are worried about the sun running out of hydrogen to fuse into helium at which time it will swell up to red giant size incinerating the earth as it does so,are they kidding,that's not due to happen until about four or five billion years hence,strikes me they must have a easy life if they can spend brow wrinkle time fretting on events so far in the future.

[sparkie2182]

I found this page some time ago...........

http://pvcdrom.pveducation.org/SUNLIGHT/DECLIN.HTM

Bearing in mind such textbooks as "Munroe's Navigation" with rather complex freehand drawings it occured to me how much easier computers have made the
learning process..

[Hamish Mackintosh]

Saw a doco on CBC about a month ago where by they said the North pole is moving south(it is said to have done this many millions of years ago)and the claim was it will be in central Russia by the year 2050, they are not sure yet how this will affect our relationship with the Moon relative to the "angle of tilt"as the magnetic field will change, and it goes without saying that if the "Tilt" changes, so will all weather patterns

[Tony D]

Well we know the magnetic pole flips about every million year or so ie North and South magnetic poles change ends,no one is sure the reason this phenomenon as yet but it is thought to the magnetic field gradually reduces in strength then returning with a surge with reversed polarity, and it is thought to happen fairly quickly when it does occur.
Going to be a bit confusing for compass manufacturers.

[Hamish Mackintosh]

Originally Posted by Tony D

Well we know the magnetic pole flips about every million year or so ie North and South magnetic poles change ends,no one is sure the reason this phenomenon as yet but it is thought to the magnetic field gradually reduces in strength then returning with a surge with reversed polarity, and it is thought to happen fairly quickly when it does occur.
Going to be a bit confusing for compass manufacturers.

That brings up the question, if the magnetic field weakens ,is that the reason the moon is moving away from earth(as above posts)and the further away it gets out of the earths "pull" the faster it will go,not that we should worry about it tho'

[Satanic Mechanic]

And of course we shouldn't forget the etymology of the word Lunatic.

Despite there being apparently little solid evidence of a direct co-relation - I know a few psychiatric nurses (I have hospital near by - we share a 'local') who swear blind you can tell when there is full moon by the behaviour of patients.

[Tony D]

The Earths magnetic field has nothing to do with keeping the Moon in place Mr Hamish, that is purely down to Newton and gravity,the reason the moon is spiraling out if such a tiny effect can be classed as spiraling is because of resonances caused by the rest of the solar system giving it a wee tug every now and again,the mathematics and mechanics of bodies in orbits around other bodies is a baffling subject seemingly counter intuitive.

[Hamish Mackintosh]

Originally Posted by Tony D

The Earths magnetic field has nothing to do with keeping the Moon in place Mr Hamish, that is purely down to Newton and gravity,the reason the moon is spiraling out if such a tiny effect can be classed as spiraling is because of resonances caused by the rest of the solar system giving it a wee tug every now and again,the mathematics and mechanics of bodies in orbits around other bodies is a baffling subject seemingly counter intuitive.

Aye, I hear you Tony, long time since School and Newton and apples etc,but I do see they have now found a new Star(sun) with five Earth size planets going around it at approx the same distance from the star as we are from our sun, might be some green men out there afterall

[Sister Eleff]

Originally Posted by Satanic Mechanic

And of course we shouldn't forget the etymology of the word Lunatic.

Despite there being apparently little solid evidence of a direct co-relation - I know a few psychiatric nurses (I have hospital near by - we share a 'local') who swear blind you can tell when there is full moon by the behaviour of patients.

Not just the Psych Nurses MJ, Emergency Departments and the Police experience the phenomenon too.

[Thats another Story]

i had the same conversation when working on the new landing stage at Liverpool about the nutters coming out at the full moon he showed me the daily log book new moon half moon etc although an unbeliever at the time once he showed me the log book nearly every full moon someone tried to top themselves the log must be on record somewhere so what is it about the pull of the moon?.john

[sparkie2182]

The asylum in Lancaster,England was said to have originated a word used in this context.
It was based on the name of the river running through the town.

[Thats another Story]

sparkie. allan every day is a full moon to me

[sparkie2182]

Thought so , John.

[david freeman]

Some time ago I might remember a wags pub song throwing snowballs at the moon? Have you had it?

[J.Dowd]

Originally Posted by Hugh Ferguson

The moon, apparently, does much more than just causing the tide to flood and ebb. It stabilizes our planet and thus we remain inclined at an angle to the sun of 23.5 degrees; known to all those who have wielded a sextant as the angle of declination.
!

Declination? Obliquity of the Ecliptic!

[Hugh Ferguson]

Is that what it is! I'd forgotten, just like on looking at my old "sight book" I haven't a clue what all those figures were for.

[Thenavigator4]

Originally Posted by david freeman

Some time ago I might remember a wags pub song throwing snowballs at the moon? Have you had it?

Errrr David, would you have been on the bridge at midnight?

Ernest

[trotterdotpom]

Originally Posted by Thenavigator4

Errrr David, would you have been on the bridge at midnight?

Ernest

She spoke "a little" soon because Jack showed her the way.

John T.

[RayJordandpo]

Originally Posted by Satanic Mechanic

And of course we shouldn't forget the etymology of the word Lunatic.

Despite there being apparently little solid evidence of a direct co-relation - I know a few psychiatric nurses (I have hospital near by - we share a 'local') who swear blind you can tell when there is full moon by the behaviour of patients.

Maybe it is something to do with the greater gravitational pull during a full moon, after all our body is around 70% water.

[Pat Kennedy]

Originally Posted by RayJordandpo

Maybe it is something to do with the greater gravitational pull during a full moon, after all our body is around 70% water.

I dont think there is a greater gravitational pull during a full moon. The only difference is that there is an increase in the amount of sunlight being reflected off the moon's surface,and its difficult to make any correlation between this and irrational behaviour in humans.
However, I've known a few policemen who would swear that the nutters do kick off at the time of a full moon. Maybe this is what Psychologists call 'cognitive behaviour', when something is believed simply because so many stories appear in the media about it.
Pat