Author Archives: Carol

Moonlight Fascination

Posted on by January 15, 2020
Oct 2014

Moon - CarolInternational Observe the Moon Night was celebrated on 6 September 2014. All over the world people gathered to observe a brilliant Moon in gibbous phase.
What is this fascination we have with our nearest celestial neighbour? For one, our Moon is breathtakingly beautiful. Every night it takes on a new shape as the sunlit portion moves across its face to its own rhythm. From new moon to full moon and back to new moon takes an average 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes

The human brain seems to crave rhythm.
Though solar, lunar and seasonal cycles play a lesser role in modern society, the behaviour of our ancestors depended on these natural rhythms.

Scientists have been doing intensive studies on circadian rhythms. These are physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle and produced by natural factors within the body, but are also affected by signals from the environment.

Although not yet scientifically proven, some individuals believe that the Moon has a great influence on their well- being. They argue that if the Moon governs the tides, surely it would have an influence on the human body as well. There is one problem with this line of thought. The oceans are vast. An individual is but a very tiny speck on Earth.

The Ocean tides are controlled by the forces of gravity (tugging) of the Moon and Sun as well as by the rotation of Earth. Coastal areas usually experience two high and two low tides every 24 hours and 50 minutes. High tides occur 12 hours and 25 minutes apart. It takes six hours and 12.5 minutes for the water at the shore to go from high to low, or from low to high –the rhythm of ebb and flow.

The Earth’s axial rotation and the Moon’s orbital rotation result in a catch-up situation and moonrise for a specific location will be about 50 min later each day. The Moon is also visible during the day, except during new moon, when it occupies the same region in the sky as the Sun and at full moon .

Humans are by nature inquisitive. The Moon is tidally locked to our planet (its orbit of 27.5 is the same time as its axial rotation), showing just one side to us here on Earth. It was only natural that we wanted to know what the far side looked like. Once humans realised that the distance to the Moon could be overcome, missions to the Moon became commonplace and we now know that the most beautiful side is facing us!

Some say they can see a man on the Moon. During full moon I definitely see the rabbit who is still patiently mixing an elixir for Chang’e to be able to return to her beloved husband, Houyi, as in the Chinese legend.

In a world of bright lights we no longer rely on the Moon to guide our daily activities. How often do we forget that it is up there? Yet sometimes as you draw the curtains for the night it surprises you and your gaze locks in utter fascination.

It was fascination I know
And it might have ended
Right then, at the start
Just a passing glance
Just a brief romance
And next moment I kiss you
Fascination turned to love

– Nat King Cole

One small step against light pollution

Posted on by January 15, 2020
July 2014

For a considerable time I have been noticing a white glow in the Betty’s Bay night sky. At first I thought that someone had installed an unshielded outside light while on holiday, then went back home and left it on to shine forever.

Heading back to the city one early morning after a night of stargazing, the bright illumination of the Caltex garage and specifically the Caltex sign stood in stark contrast to the rest of Betty’s Bay, which still lay blanketed in natural darkness. All I could think about for a day or two was the fuel station, which at night seemed so alien. One Caltex sign would not be able to obliterate the whole Milky Way but a few more highly illuminated hotspots could do severe damage to our natural night sky. Even though the chances of getting a response from such a giant company were most probably nil, I wrote an email.

You can imagine my surprise when I opened my inbox a few weeks later.

“Thank you for your email. Please accept our apologies for attending to your query at this late stage.We are currently working our way through a backlog as we have been inundated with queries over the last few weeks.Could you kindly provide your contact number so that we may contact you?”

Thus started my communication with the Customer Service Centre Chevron South Africa (PTY) LTD. My query was forwarded to the relevant department. I was updated regularly on the progress of the matter. “Please be advised we are still in the process of investigating and finalizing your query”

On 2 July 2014 I recieved a call and was put through to a manager, in charge of a certain cluster of service stations, who had this to say:
1. The erf on which the service station is located had been zoned for the purpose of running a fuel station. They were granted all the legal rights from the municipality
2. The illumination is in accordance with national regulations
3. The signage is in accordance with national regulations
4. No, they do not differentiate between urban, rural or sensitive fynbos areas when it comes to the amount of illumination used.
5. The service station is there to stay ( which of course I had not queried because lets face it, I need fuel as well as the Milky Way)

Well, at least someone had taken the time to attend to my query and had actually responded. “Yes I understand. Thank you for taking the time….” I was about to say goodbye….

“But what we will do……The sign has recently been damaged by the wind. During repairs we will remove the sensor that automatically switches on the light at nightfall. The service station closes at 6pm. The light will be switched off then. Please go and remind the retailer if they forget to switch off the sign. The downlights over the pumps will, unfortunately, have to remain on throughout the night.”

Caltex will be switching off its sign! If each of us would switch off, use motion sensors or at least shield outdoor lights, the natural night sky could be preserved for generations to come and not become the legend of Betty’s Bay and its Milky Way.

Credit. http://wwwpenny4nasa.org

Credit.
http://wwwpenny4nasa.org

Residential lighting guidelines  http://www.darksky.org/assets/documents/PG3-residential-lighting

Reflections

Posted on by May 25, 2015

reflectionsI associated death with loss, sadness, despair and funerals with overly ornate coffins, formal floral arrangements, pious priests, handkerchiefs, empty words, sunglasses (even on rainy days), condolences, nice sandwiches, chatter, jokes and then life went on.

Once on a misty-rainy day, I was invited to attend a private funeral on the slopes of a mountain. The forest trees stood in misty silence, a few springbuck grazed on a hill, the gravel crunched under solemn footsteps, a grave had been prepared. Nearby a fallen tree was home to termites. Flat gravestones, cut from mountain rock and polished, lay randomly under shrubs in bloom.
A bamboo coffin, suspended by broad white ribbons, was lowered with a gentle brush against the lush green leaves that framed the grave. A close friend read a poem, I read a quote from Tolstoy, a wife lay her husband to rest while a little bird sang along to the sound of a recording of Nimrod, from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar. The rain’s touch was light as we pondered the misty reflections on the lake. That was the day that death became part of life for me.

Occultations

Posted on by June 17, 2014
June 2014

Saturn-beforeMy excitement about an occultation which was to occur on 10 June 2014 from 19:15 to 20:16 was met by frowns from a few people who most probably thought that I had plans to slay a black cat. Let me begin by defining the word occult.
Dealing with supernatural influences or phenomena, beyond the realm of human comprehension, inscrutable or available only to the initiate are the more common associations. However, occult also means hidden from view and knowledge of the hidden.
Before I am forever labelled a witch, let me assure you that my excitement was all about an occultation of an astronomical object and nothing sinister.

After days of heavy rain in the Western Cape, the skies cleared as a gibbous Moon glided by while the more distant Saturn disappeared and was completely out of sight for an hour or so. Even though I knew I had time to spare, I braved the cold and kept looking through my telescope, fiddling and adjusting my camera. The moments of disappearance and reappearance, when two astronomical bodies seem to be touching one another, are the most thrilling. With Saturn, even more so because first the rings “touch”, followed by the planet. For just a few seconds Saturn and its rings seem to be halved.

I have often witnessed bright stars being occulted by the Moon. On the other hand, occultations of planets by the Moon are not as frequent but during every year there’s bound to be at least one to observe from somewhere on Earth.

Occultations of one planet by another are rare. The last time such event occurred was on 3 January 1818 when Venus occulted Jupiter. The next occultation involving planets will occur on 22 November 2065 when the same two planets will have a new generation of astrologers in a flurry.

It is also possible for two planets to be occulted at the same time. Such events are extremely rare. I could only find one reference to such an event. On 23 April 1998 the Moon occulted Venus and Jupiter simultaneously for observers on Ascension Island.

Since Aristotle recorded the Moon covering Mars way back in 357 B.C, occultations have been observed, not only for the sake of wonder, but mainly for scientific purposes. Uranus’s rings were discovered when the planet occulted a star in 1977.

Even with occultation excitement abating, The Lord of the Rings will still be prominent in our night skies for the next few months to wow observers.