Here's a bit of seasonal interest from another list:
>This year will be the first full moon to occur on the winter solstice,
>Dec. 22, commonly called the first day of winter. Since a full moon
>on the winter solstice occurred 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 it's 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.
>
>On December 21st. 1866 the Lakota Sioux took advantage of this
>combination of occurrences and staged a devastating retaliatory
>ambush on soldiers in the Wyoming Territory.
>
>In laymen's terms it will be a super bright full moon, much more than the
>usual AND it hasn't happened this way for 133 years!
>
>Our ancesto's 133 years ago saw this. Our descendants 100 or so
>years from now will see this again.
>
>Who knows what could happen this time?
____________________________________________________________________
David Wood
PhD Research Student ('Intelligence Sites in Rural North Yorkshire')
Centre for Rural Economy
Department of Agricultural Economics and Food Marketing
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
0191 222 5305
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