And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due
season
we shall reap, if we faint not. - Galatians 6:9
IN THIS UPDATE
Party Time! Early Evening Total Lunar Eclipse! Blood Moon -- Fourth and Final
Round
Hey Friends,
I had a great road trip this week! I took a trip with Shawn, my pastor and my friend, scope out some locations for the EXCITING 2017 Total Eclipse of the Sun!!! Trust me friends, this is going to be SOOOOO HUUUUGE! But it's only going to work out well for prospective eclipse chasers with good advance planning, and I wanted to get started on that, nearly two years
out.
We visited some friends in Tennessee, and then we drove up to Hopkinsville, Kentucky to discuss the eclipse with local area homeschoolers and city officials. This pleasant town has the distinction of being the point of "Greatest Eclipse," the global centerpoint of the path of the Moon's shadow, as indicated on this NASA graphic:
Friends, Hopkinsville will be the place to be on eclipse day! There will be two minutes and forty seconds of totality, the prime global location for viewing this event.
If you live within an 8 hour drive of Hopkinsville, I suggest planning to make the trip with your family for Monday, August 21, 2017. Click like on the Hopkinsville Eclipse FB page to stay posted. In addition to the eclipse itself, there are LOTS of other fun things to do in this area, and many activities are being planned in
Hopkinsville, so you can do things outside of those few minutes. Start planning NOW for your 2017 Kentucky vacation!
If you can't make it to Kentucky, you can still see the total solar eclipse from anywhere along the the path of totality. The Moon's shadow will pass over the USA from coast to coast, crossing twelve states from Oregon to South Carolina, allowing fine views
of this jaw-dropping spectacle. Use this NASA link to find the closest location of the eclipse path to your home.
Wherever you observe, it's important to understand that God's
greatest wonder of TOTALITY is only visible along this path! If you have a 99% obscured Sun as seen from your home, you will NOT see the awesome wonder of a total eclipse! During totality, the brightness of the sky drops by a factor of ONE-MILLION compared to normal noon-hour daylight. Every little "pixel" of the Sun's bright disc must be completely covered to see this sight! Only 100% obscuration of the Sun does the
trick!
We will have LOTS of information about this eclipse in upcoming newsletters, so stay tuned and tell all your friends!
For more information about topics from Classical Astronomy
discussed in this newsletter,please check out
a homeschool astronomy curriculum (but popular with adult readers too!)
Visit our archive of previous editions of the Classical Astronomy Update newsletters, going back to 2007.
Visit this page to subscribe to the
Classical Astronomy Update and the Northeast Ohio Astronomy (NEOastro) newsletters.
*****
Party Time! Early Evening Lunar Eclipse
Friends, if you've been following this "tetrad" of total lunar eclipses in 2014 and 2015, this is finally the one you've been waiting for! The other three favored the Pacific, and were best visible from the USA either in the middle of the night or early in the morning, before sunrise. Of course, the dedicated eclipse watchers adjusted their schedules to look for those eclipses, but most of America just went to
sleep! But this last total lunar eclipse will occur during the early evening hours shortly after sunset, and will be easy to see for everyone in the USA!
I've had many people tell me that they have never seen a lunar eclipse, even
including close relatives. This is sad, since total lunar eclipses are very common, and easily seen, and generally well-reported in the media. But I regret that even though I have created these newsletters for years, I have inadvertently neglected to verbally inform some people close to me.
Worse than that are the reports I receive of mature adults who adamantly insist that there has never been a lunar eclipse in their lifetimes. This is simply not true. I first observed a lunar eclipse in 1982, at the age of 21, and have managed to find out about every other one since. But then again, there were numerous lunar eclipses before that which I would have
loved to see, but somehow never heard about. In spite of ample media coverage, there are still problems in communicating the news about lunar eclipses.
For these reasons, I encourage everyone to help spread the word about the total
lunar eclipse of the evening of Sunday, September 27, 2015. And more over, plan on sharing this eclipse with someone! It's always more fun to observe sky events with others, and this is a perfect occasion for planning your very own Eclipse Party! Our church is having a Lunar Eclipse Bonfire that night! Why not yours too? You can make s'mores with the kids and enjoy a pleasant autumn evening while observing God's wonder of a lunar eclipse! Or else invite some friends over to your house! Whatever you do, if the skies are clear that night, do not miss this
eclipse!
As shown in this graphic, the first stage of partial eclipse begins at 9:06 PM in
the eastern time zone. This is the point of "first contact" with the Earth's umbra, which is to say, the full shadow of the Earth. Technically speaking the eclipse event actually begins before this, at the time when the Moon enters the penumbra or partial shadow of the Earth. But there is really not much to see at this stage, except a subtle dimming of the Moon's
brightness.
First contact (or U1) is the point when the leading edge of the Moon touches the edge of the Earth's umbra. The stage of partial eclipse begins since after this moment, a darkened edge becomes visible
upon the Moon's face. This is also called ingress, since the Moon is entering the umbra.
Second contact (or U2) is the point where the trailing edge of the Moon enters the edge of the umbra. The stage of total
eclipse commences, as the Moon is fully immersed in the Earth's shadow.
Mid-eclipse (MID) is just that, when the Moon is fully-centered in the Earth's umbra, the midpoint of totality and of the entire eclipse
event.
Third contact (or U3) is when the leading edge of the Moon touches the trailing edge of the umbra. This marks the end of totality, as the Moon now begins to emerge from the Earth's shadow. This begins the
egress of the Moon, indicating the outgoing stage of partial eclipse.
Fourth contact (or U4) is the end of partial eclipse, when the trailing edge of the Moon exits the Earth's
umbra.
This handy chart shows the local times of the stages of eclipse for the continental United States:
U1- Partial stage begins
9:06 PM EDT
8:06 PM CDT
7:06 PM MDT
6:06 PM PDT
U2- Totality begins
10:10 PM EDT
9:10 PM CDT
8:10 PM MDT
7:10 PM PDT
MID- Mid-eclipse
10:47
PM EDT
9:47 PM CDT
8:47 PM MDT
7:47 PM PDT
U3- Totality ends
11:23 PM EDT
10:23 PM CDT
9:23 PM MDT
8:23 PM PDT
U4- Partial stage ends
12:27 AM EDT
11:27 PM CDT
10:27 PM MDT
9:27 PM
PDT
Those in the central USA are poised to observe the entirety of the partial and total stages of eclipse at the earliest hours after sunset. Those in the western USA will miss the beginning of the eclipse event, since it will begin while it is still daytime for them, and the Moon is rising in a stage of eclipse. However, those on the west coast will be able to observe the egress of
eclipse at an early hour, while this stage will be seen in the later hours after midnight for those in the eastern USA.
All in all, this eclipse offers the best circumstances to the greatest number of observers in North and South America. So please circle this date on your calendar, and tell all your friends!
Colors of Eclipse
While famous for their "Blood Moon"
color, there is actually a wide range of colors that can appear during a total lunar eclipse. The Danjon scale is used to gauge the color and brightness of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse:
D4 - This is
a very bright eclipse. The Moon appears as a yellowish-orange, and is very bright along the edge of the umbra. These are kind of disappointing, not really very much like what you'd expect from an eclipse.
D3 - Not as bright or yellow as D4, more of a reddish color, but still comparatively bright as far as lunar eclipses are concerned.
D2 - This is the standard "Blood Moon" color. The Moon has a deep rusty look, and the brightness is greatly diminished compared to the normal Full Moon.
D1 - The Moon is grey and dusky, with some tinges of red. It can be hard to pick out the Moon from the sky, especially under light-polluted city skies.
D0 - This is a very dark eclipse, hard to spot under a dark rural sky, nearly invisible, especially at mid-eclipse.
The brightness of a lunar eclipse corresponds to the amount of dirt in the Earth's atmosphere, since the red color is due to filtering of sunlight through the atmosphere, shining onto the Moon (as explained in a previous newsletter).
I'm expecting that this
eclipse will be darker than usual, due to the wildfires in 2015 in Alaska, California and the Pacific Northwest. I've received reports all summer from folks across the USA who report clouds, haze and diminished sky quality due to the smoke from these fires. Given global air circulation, it follows that the entire atmosphere of the Earth should have a greater-than-normal concentration of aerosol smoke particles, which would scatter more sunlight, resulting in a darker eclipse.
But we'll all find out next week!
Super Blood Harvest Moon????
This total lunar eclipse is special for many reasons. For one thing, it is the fourth total eclipse of the current "tetrad," and is the last in the "Blood Moon" series. This
newsletter has included a series of articles informing and educating about this latest "wind of doctrine," and the final installment follows below. But one thing certainly is undeniable, and that is that this total lunar eclipse represents a convergence of various lunar cycles.
As a so-called "supermoon," this Full Moon is very close to perigee,
the point in its orbit when it is closest to the Earth. The proponents of this notion proclaim that the Moon is 30% larger in the sky, and thus correspondingly brighter. For my own part, I'm not impressed with that. The Moon is inherently very small in the sky, only about 1/2 of a degree, or about 30 arcminutes. A 30% increase only represents about 9 arcminutes, a very tiny difference indeed. Without a "normal" Moon in the sky to compare, I don't understand how even
an experienced lunar observer can make an "eyeball" determination of such a small size difference.
As for being brighter, the brightness of even a regular Full Moon can vary a lot just based on haze or thin clouds in the atmosphere. Unless one lives in the desert where the air is very dry, I'm not sure how one can even notice the difference. I think the "supermoon" hype plays on the power of suggestion -- if you tell people the Moon is brighter, they'll believe that it is, and report that accordingly. But unless one has some sort of scientific
equipment for measuring the apparent diameter and the amount of light flux, I'm skeptical than anyone can judge any differences with just the unaided eye.
This is also the "Blood Moon" according to the popular teaching currently making the rounds in Christian circles. This latest eclipse is occurring during Sukkot, the Jewish feast of tabernacles. As explained in previous newsletters, Sukkot always occurs on or very near the day of the first Full Moon of autumn. However, a lunar eclipse also must occur during the Full Moon, and the
timing of lunar eclipses rotates through the months in a regular 18 year cycle. So there is a lunar eclipse during Sukkot about 1/6 of the time. This is perfectly natural, and not a big deal, just a convergence of the lunar calendar cycle with the eclipse cycle.
It is also the Harvest Moon, or the first Full Moon of fall. Due to the geometry of the Moon's path through the sky, it happens that the Moon rises early in the evening in the days following the Full Moon. This is a providence of the LORD, as it has historically
provided farmers with extra hours of light in the early evening for bringing in the harvest. But the Harvest Moon usually coincides with Sukkot anyway, being the same Full Moon most of the time. And it is not uncommon for a lunar eclipse to occur during the Harvest Moon, again happening about every six years.
So even though the notion of a "Super Blood Harvest Moon" sounds significant, it's really not, simply a convergences of various lunar cycles. In any event, there is no reason to believe that this natural event would herald the imminent return of
Jesus!
Blood Moon -- Fourth and Final
Round
Previous newsletters have discussed the astronomical details of the popular "Blood Moon"
eschatology. An archive of these installments is found here on our website. In summary, it has
been explained that the Hebrew feasts of Passover and Sukkot are given in Scripture as occurring at the Full Moons of spring and fall, respectively, while total lunar eclipses also necessarily occur during the Full Moon. It is very common to have a lunar eclipse during these feasts, and such occurs about 1/6 of the time. This simply represents a convergence of two lunar cycles, and is a commonplace astronomical
occurrence.
Adherents of "Blood Moon" eschatology draw significance from the current "tetrad" of total lunar eclipses, in which four consecutive eclipses in 2014 and
2015 coincide with Passover and Sukkot in those years. It is stated that previous instances of such tetrads occurred in 1492, 1948, and 1967, years which were historically significant for the state of Israel and/or the Jewish people.
However, it was shown that the "Blood Moon" eclipses of those periods actually occurred after the historically significant events, and not before. Thus, continuing that pattern, if there were any significant historical events accompanying the current tetrad, they should have occurred in 2013 or early 2014, before the associated eclipses. There is simply no pattern of construing the
previous eclipses as being any sort of prophetic sign that would precede a notable event. Thus, there is nothing in the previous tetrads that would suggest a notable event lying ahead in 2015 or beyond, let alone the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
In general, we've tried to present level-headed facts in the hopes of providing assurance to those who have been dubious of the "Blood Moon" eschatology. It is a simple fact that our generation is not schooled in the elements of Classical Astronomy, and we today are simply naive to the commonplace astronomical basis of both eclipses and the Hebrew feasts. It is
worth noting that no such alarm or hysteria has ever been raised at any point in history over eclipses in general, nor in the previous "Blood Moon" tetrads of 1492, 1948 and 1967. One might ask oneself why this seems so significant only now, in a time when astronomy awareness is conspicuously absent from the media and the educational establishment.
Not to be deterred, some readers have accused me of being a "scoffer" for presenting facts and offering skepticism of the current "Blood Moon" craze. However, the context of that verse in question is as
follows:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. - 2 Peter 3:2-4
It should be noted that no doubt has been expressed in this newsletter over the glorious return of Christ, but only whether a commonplace natural phenomenon should be construed as a prophetic sign of this return. Indeed, Jesus Himself instructed us to be "wise as serpents and as harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). The Apostle also added that we are to "prove all things, hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21).
In light of these clear teachings, I think instead that the burden of proof should reside with the persons making the claims, and also those who hold to such teachings. We are instructed to not be "carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 4:14).
Thankfully, most of the
readers have expressed thanks for explaining the "Blood Moon" phenomenon in light of the science and history of lunar eclipses. Nonetheless, reports have reached me of wealthy individuals who have made important investment decisions on the basis of the currently-trending "Blood Moon" and "Shemitah" teachings. I contributed to this white paper, which was intended to quell the fears of such investors. However, I find it puzzling that one could be intelligent enough to become wealthy in business, yet fail to trouble oneself to consider the commonplace scientific principles that govern eclipse prediction.
In the event that the facts presented in these articles are proven wrong, and if I have led anyone astray by presuming to debunk the "Blood Moon" teaching, I heartily apologize in advance. Trust that I will give an account of such error before the Almighty. But if nothing comes to pass in the wake of the September 27 total lunar eclipse, regarding either Israel or second coming of Christ, then accountability should instead
reside with those who made the claims.
First Century Lunar Eclipses
As further evidence of the commonplace nature of lunar eclipses, it's worth considering that, according to NASA calculations, there were about 170 lunar eclipses that occurred from the
approximate time of the Crucifixion until the end of the first century, when the canon of the New Testament had been written.
Of the 170 or so lunar eclipses in this period, many were penumbral eclipses that would not have been readily noticed. Many other eclipses would not have been visible from Israel. The following is a list of the 25 total or deep partial
eclipses that would have readily visible from Israel during this 65 year period
Partial - August 7, A.D. 35
Total - January 31, A.D. 36
Total - July 27, A.D. 36
Partial - July 16, A.D. 37
Total - September 7, A.D. 43
Total - December 31, A.D. 46
Total - October
19, A.D. 50
Total - April 15, A.D. 51
Total - February 11, A.D. 54
Total - June 5, A.D. 57
Partial - November 19, A.D. 58
Partial - March 19, A.D. 62
Total - May 6, A.D. 68
Partial - October 18, A.D. 69
Total - April 5, A.D. 79
Total - November 9, A.D. 86
Total - March 4, A.D. 90
Total - August
28, A.D. 90
Partial - August 17, A.D. 91
Total - December 21, A.D. 93
Total - June 17, A.D. 94
Partial - December 10, A.D. 94
Total - October 9, A.D. 97
Total - February 2, A.D. 101
Total - July 28, A.D. 101
Of the above, a few of them fall in March/April and
September/October during windows that might have corresponded with the Hebrew feasts. Others are clustered up in close periods of years, separated by long stretches. But on average, there was about one eclipse every 2.6 years visible from Israel. It is therefore evident that there was nothing remarkable about lunar eclipses, as known and understood by people living in those times, including the writers
of the New Testament.
It is also worth considering that there is no clear indication of an eclipse, solar or lunar, in either the New Testament or elsewhere in the Bible (since, as explained previously, the prophecy of Joel does not describe a natural eclipse). Eclipses and their causes were well-understood in the Greco-Roman world of this period, and had the LORD wished to
inspire the New Testament writers to specifically mention eclipses, He certainly could have done so. It would also follow that the LORD could just as easily have mentioned an eclipse or sequence of eclipses being construed as a prophetic sign. The fact that there is no such indication should also make us wonder why the "Blood Moons" are only being construed as prophetically significant in the here and now.
Signs, Wonders and Hoaxes
There have been other many other times when natural phenomena have been construed as "signs in the heavens," divine warnings of dire consequences. Throughout the Middle Ages, signs such as solar eclipses and comets were often held to represent portents of doom. Here's an example, from the writings of Gregory, the Bishop of Tours in France, circa A.D. 600:
Once on the first of October the sun was so darkened that not a quarter of it continued bright, but it looked hideous and discolored, about like a sack.
Moreover a star which certain call a comet, with a ray like a sword, appeared over that country through a whole year, and the sky seemed to be on fire and many other signs were seen.... And presently the plague came, and such a carnage of the people took place through the whole district that the legions that fell could not be counted.
Surely the spread of disease has just as much a natural
explanation today as do the causes of eclipses and comets. And surely the latter is now understood to not be the cause of the former. One of the triumphs of modern science is in demonstrating that most fearful natural phenomena have a logical explanation. In light of this, certainly a supernatural sign should be plainly evident as an abridgement of the natural order.
Such
"signs" were even encountered in more modern times. A famous example is the outbreak of the Leonid meteor storm of November 13, 1833. So many meteors fell so thick from the sky over the United States that it produced a general alarm among the American people.
Many people were terrified by this meteor storm, and it was widely as a fulfillment of this prophecy:
And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. - Mark
13:25
The morning dawned and everyone expected to see Jesus riding a white horse. But that never happened. In all fairness to the people of this time, there was not yet a scientific explanation for meteors in 1833, so they could not have been expected to know what was happening. Though annual showers of "shooting stars" had long been observed, their causes were not yet
understood. Certainly no one recalled such a fast and furious display of meteors.
The 1833 Leonids are credited with giving impetus to the Second Great Awakening. This meteor outburst was also significant in the
histories of the Adventist movement, and also the Mormons. The Mormon founder Joseph
Smith had this to say about them:
I arose, and to my great joy, beheld the stars fall from heaven like a shower of hailstones; a literal fulfillment of the word of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, and a sure sign that the coming of Christ is close at hand.
Though Jesus did not
return in 1833 as anticipated, the historic Leonid storm was closely studied, and resulted in a scientific understanding of meteors. It was learned that meteors are a swarm of "cosmic debris" left over from comets. The Earth passes through such clouds of debris as it circles in its orbit during the same times every year, resulting in annual
meteor showers. It was learned that the Leonid swarm was particularly dense and compact, resulting in an explosive display every 33 years. Another especially large outbreak of Leonids occurred in 1966.
Some "signs and wonders" have been manufactured! Such are the reports of "Great Moon Hoax" of 1835, which was perhaps partially inspired by the Leonid outbreak of two years
before. This outlandish story was purportedly a satire describing a
civilization of creatures living on the Moon. People of the time believed it, and it sold lots of papers for the New York Sun.
The Great Moon Hoax came and went, and is only remembered today as a minor historical footnote. Another piece of foolish 19th century propaganda was much more successful, and still thrives today... the cult of "Life on Mars." This ludicrous notion was first propagated by Percival Lowell, a wealthy astronomer who founded his own observatory in
Arizona.
Lowell misconstrued the term "canali" used by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli to describe certain features observed telescopically on the surface of Mars. Based on negligible evidence, Lowell wrote three books, starting in 1895, in which he constructed an elaborate storyline of alleged Martians that carved "canals" over the planet's surface, to conduct water to save their dying civilization.
It's a matter of history that Lowell's "canals of Mars" were utterly debunked, shown to be an optical illusion, and Mars proven to be devoid of an alien civilization. But Lowell sold a lot of books along the way, and he inspired a loyal following that persists to this day. H.G. Wells was inspired by Lowell's "work" to write his "War of the Worlds" in 1898.
Forty years later, another Wells by the name of Orson did a radio performance that outdid the Great Moon Hoax of the previous century in inadvertently misleading the public.
The "Life on Mars" hoax has persisted over the last 120 years, and keeps turning up like a bad penny. Most notably in recent times was the famous "Mars rock" hoax of 1996, in which a meteoric fragment, regarded as originating on Mars, was discovered to have traces of bacteria, presumed to be of Martian
origin. As I expected at the time, this "evidence of alien life" was eventually proven to be due to bacterial contamination here on Earth. But in the face of all evidence, the Mars devotees remain just as undeterred as the "Blood Moon" enthusiasts. Many professional scientists, including NASA researchers, hold a type of religious faith for the promise of life on Mars. For this reason, this hoax will probably never die out, at least not anytime
soon.
It
is my expectation that sometime after the lunar eclipse of September 27, 2015, the "Blood Moon" craze will quietly pass into the annals of astronomy-oriented hoaxes. But we can be sure that others will pop up to take its place. I'm personally expecting the Total Solar Eclipse of Monday, August 21, 2017 to be the next offering from the "End Times Theory of the Month Club."
* * * * *
As mentioned in our July 7 newsletter, there will be still more to come in 2015 with Jupiter and Venus! There will be a
very interesting morning series of conjunctions in October ,and this time including the Moon, Mercury and Mars! Here again is a "sneak preview" of the conjunctions to come:
Oct 08: Moon and Venus Oct 09: Moon and Mars and Jupiter Oct 11: Moon and
Mercury Oct 17: Mars and Jupiter Oct 26: Venus and Jupiter Nov 02: Venus and Mars
We'll have another newsletter ready in a couple weeks that discuss those morning conjunctions.
Til next time,
God bless and clear skies,
- jay
The Ryan Family Cleveland, Ohio,
USA
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? - Psalm 8:3-4, a Psalm of David
|
|
|
|
