Lunar Eclipse Research Articles

Pre-Service Primary Science Teachers’ Understandings of the Moon's Phases and Lunar Eclipse

The aim of this study was to explore pre-service primary science teachers’ understandings of the moon's phases and lunar eclipse. The survey approach was used as the research method. The sample consisted of one-hundred and five first year pre-service primary science teachers. As a tool for data collection, a test composed of six open-ended questions that drew on the scholarly literature, developed by the researchers, was used. The data from students’ responses was analyzed descriptively. The statistical analysis indicated that the chi square statistics calculated is significant at a level of 0.05, suggesting that the observed frequencies’ differences among various levels of understanding are not due to chance. The findings showed that pre-service primary science teachers’ understanding of the moon's phases and lunar eclipses was rather weak and that they hold common misunderstandings, suggesting that traditional instruction approaches are not enough to achieve meaningful, conceptual learning and must be replaced with alternative approaches.

Spectral and spatial dependency of aerosol extinction in the upper troposphere based on the moon surface photometry in the Earth’s umbra

The work is based on photometry of the Moon’s surface during the total lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011. Photometric data are used to retrieve the value of aerosol extinction coefficient in the troposphere above the Earth’s limb in various spectral bands in the optical and near-IR ranges. The results are analyzed in comparison with the data of previous eclipses in 2004–2008. The main result consists in an increased aerosol concentration in the South-East Asia, which is maximum among all eclipses observed in recent years. At the same time, no relationship between eclipse brightness and solar activity is observed, as well as unified latitude dependency of umbra brightness noticed earlier.

GLANCING VIEWS OF THE EARTH: FROM A LUNAR ECLIPSE TO AN EXOPLANETARY TRANSIT

It has been posited that lunar eclipse observations may help predict the in-transit signature of Earth-like extrasolar planets. However, a comparative analysis of the two phenomena addressing in detail the transport of stellar light through the planet's atmosphere has not yet been presented. Here, we proceed with the investigation of both phenomena by making use of a common formulation. Our starting point is a set of previously unpublished near-infrared spectra collected at various phases during the August 2008 lunar eclipse. We then take the formulation to the limit of an infinitely distant observer in order to investigate the in-transit signature of the Earth-Sun system as being observed from outside our Solar System. The refraction-bending of sunlight rays that pass through the Earth's atmosphere is a critical factor in the illumination of the eclipsed Moon. Likewise, refraction will have an impact on the in-transit transmission spectrum for specific planet-star systems depending on the refractive properties of the planet's atmosphere, the stellar size and the planet's orbital distance. For the Earth-Sun system, at mid-transit, refraction prevents the remote observer's access to the lower ~12-14 km of the atmosphere and, thus, also to the bulk of the spectroscopically-active atmospheric gases. We demonstrate that the effective optical radius of the Earth in transit is modulated by refraction and varies by ~12 km from mid-transit to 2nd contact. The refractive nature of atmospheres, a property which is rarely accounted for in published investigations, will pose additional challenges to the characterization of Earth-like extrasolar planets. Refraction may have a lesser impact for Earth-like extrasolar planets within the habitable zone of some M-type stars.

Sangue de Lua: reflexôes sobre espíritos e eclipses

Moon’s blood: reflections on spirits and eclipses. In 2003, the author witnessed a partial eclipse of the moon in the Kuikuro village of Ipatse (Upper Xingu, Brazil), which was followed by a series of ritual actions. These activities were documented by a team of Indigenous film-makers who produced a documentary video about the event. Taking this ethnographic and cinematographic experience as his starting point, the author reflects on the meaning of the eclipse for the Kuikuro, focusing on the explicit cosmological knowledge conveyed by them, on the nature of their adherence to a belief system, and on some mytho-ritual themes that, lacking a native exegesis, can only be understood through a comparative perspective.

An ambient light sensing module for wireless sensor networks for planetary exploration

A sensitive ambient light sensing module with wide dynamic range has been designed for planetary wireless sensor networks. Its performance has been evaluated under different illumination conditions. Variations in ambient light intensities from <1 to 1.2×105lx could be detected from dawn to dusk, including cloud obstructions during monsoon. Moon light variations during the waning phase and total lunar eclipse have been monitored to demonstrate detection of finer variations. The module is capable of registering the fine variations in ambient light expected on different planetary surfaces. This module along with other sensors integrated into a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) would be a suitable prospective tool for many future planetary exploration tasks.

Seismoacoustic lunar fields and lunar electromagnetic (nonthermal) emission

For better insight into lunar radio emissions, observations of the Moon were made during the maximal Geminids meteor shower and during the lunar eclipse without external effects. Statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out. It was found that the lunar endogenous and exogenous processes are displayed in both the seismic-emission fields and lunar nonthermal electromagnetic emissions. Both types of signals demonstrate good correlation. The seismic and electromagnetic emission processes have common periodicities, some of which determine the internal structure of the Moon. Similar regularities are expected for other bodies of the Solar System.

Deciphering and Appeasing the Heavens: The History and Fate of an Ancient Greek Computer

In 1900, Greek sponge divers discovered an ancient Greek treasure in the waters of the Aegean island of Antikythera: a device with gears dubbed the Antikythera Mechanism. Scientists studied it for almost a century and eventually declared it the most advanced machine preserved from the ancient world. This device predicted solar and lunar eclipses and harmonized the Greeks' sacrifices to their gods with their Panhellenic games and agriculture. This geared computer from the 2nd century BCE is now said to mirror the philosophy of Aristotle and the science of Archimedes. It was the product of an advanced Greek technological infrastructure that early Christians destroyed.

Brown Trout Spawning Migration in Fragmented Central European Headwaters: Effect of Isolation by Artificial Obstacles and the Moon Phase

AbstractThe spawning migrations of 123 brown troutSalmo truttawere studied in six highland streams in the Elbe River catchment area, Czech Republic, in central Europe. Trout were observed by using radiotelemetry from August to November in headwater stretches isolated by artificial obstacles without fish ladders. The length of isolated headwater stretches ranged between 5.7 and 16.1 km. Migration distance per day and total migration length over the study period (total migration) were analyzed. In total, 1,957 individual fish positions were recorded. In general, the brown trout spawning migration reflected the seasonality with respect to temperature. Migration distance per day was low in August, reached a maximum in October, and then decreased in November. In isolated headwaters, trout adapted their migrations to the length of available free migration stretches, as both migration descriptors (migration distance per day and total migration) increased according to this variable. Moon phase appeared to be the key factor that influenced the timing of brown trout migration activity on a daily basis. High migration distance per day occurred during the eclipse of the moon, whereas the lowest migration distance per day occurred during the full moon. Furthermore, migration distance per day decreased with increasing river slope. The other variables tested (sex and physicochemical parameters, such as flow, pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen) did not affect brown trout migration activity. The results indicated that despite the restrictions of upstream migrations by lateral obstacles without fish ladders, brown trout migration activity in artificially isolated headwaters with pristine morphology is preserved. Furthermore, the analyses revealed a significant impact of the moon phase on brown trout migration that has not been previously described for this species. Although the observed migration occurred over a short period of time, brown trout did not adopt sedentary behavior, as has been described in the river stretches upstream from natural obstacles, such as waterfalls.

A Medieval Planetary Diagram in Graz University Library

IntroductionThe manuscript MS 38 in the manuscript collection of the University Library in Graz, Austria, has as its main component a Biblia sacra Veteris Testamenti cum prologis Hieronymi. The codex is part of a series that includes two volumes catalogued as MS 37 in the same library and CVP 1 1 80 in the Austrian National Library. The series was in the possession of Stift Neuberg an der Miirz, Austria, until its suppression by Emperor Joseph ? in 1786. This monastery had been founded in 1327. For palaeographic reasons1 the writing can be dated to the twelfth or early thirteenth century. The text therefore is older than the monastery and hence must have been brought there from another location.The binding of the codices was carried out in the fifteenth century in Neuberg.2 For MS 38 a single folio of parchment was used as a flyleaf. It is inscribed on both sides, but the text has no relationship to the rest of the volume. Obviously the bookbinder chose this folio only for its suitable size, which is rather large (c. 45cm high, 31cm wide). From traces on the now exterior margin it can be concluded that the folio was at one time glued to others inversely compared to the present state, i.e. what is now the recto side was once verso. The present recto (the meat side) at that time was clearly empty of text or drawings, suggesting that the folio was the last in a codex (or at least in a major section). It carries several notes regarding coins, measures, and weights, and a verse to commemorate the names of the books of the Bible. All these texts are ascribed to the fifteenth century, i.e. the time of the binding.On verso (hair side) there is a text from Beda Venerabilis's De natura rerum, surrounding a circular diagram (Figure 1). It is followed by an explanation of the various forms and meanings of the word 'vesper' and an account of the Greek numerals taken from Beda's De temporum ratione. These texts and the diagram have been ascribed to the twelfth century.The diagram shows a peculiar drawing of the universe. It combines the Macrobiantype3 display with an Isidore-type TO-map,4 a presentation of the geographical directions, and a sketch of a lunar eclipse. From a detailed microscopic study of the folio it can be concluded that the drawing sequence was as follows. First the circles were drawn. Next the vertical line (north-south) was inscribed. Then the text was written (probably starting from the outer rim and proceeding inwards) and the central map drawn. Finally the horizontal (east-west) line was drawn. Thus it seems obvious that the drawing was made in a single action, and that the rather disparate elements were drawn at one time and not added later on. The quite unusual combination of elements opens an interesting view on the astronomical practice in monasteries of the twelfth century.The Accompanying TextThe text surrounding the planetary diagram reads:Inter terram celumque VII sidera pendent & certis discrepatus quae vocantur errantia. contrarium mundo agentia cursum. id est. levum. ilio semper in dextera praecipiti. & quamvis assidua conversione: inmense celeritatis. attollantur ab eo rapiuntur in occasus adverso tarnen ire motu per suos queque passus advertuntur.nunc inferius nec superius propter obliquitatem signiferi vagantia. Rathis autem solis praepedita anomala, vel retrograda, vel stationaria fiunt.Between Earth and Heaven 7 stars are suspended at certain distances and these are called wanderers. They are running their course contrary to the world that is to the left of it, always to the right of the precipice. And although by a perpetual revolution of immense celerity they are raised and carried to the setting, they nevertheless are perceived to go in adverse motion, everyone by its pace,straying once higher, once lower because of the obliquity of the sign-bearer. But hindered by the rays of the Sun they become abnormal, or retrograde, or stationary. …

The first three rungs of the cosmological distance ladder

It is straightforward to determine the size of the Earth and the distance to the Moon without using a telescope. The methods have been known since the third century BCE. However, few astronomers have done this measurement from data they have taken. We use a gnomon to determine the latitude and longitude of South Bend, Indiana, and College Station, Texas, and determine the value of the radius of the Earth to be Rearth=6290 km, only 1.4% smaller than the known value. We use the method of Aristarchus and the size of the Earth’s shadow during the lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 to estimate the distance to the Moon to be 62.3Rearth, 3.3% greater than the known mean value. We use measurements of the angular motion of the Moon against the background stars over the course of two nights, using a simple cross staff device, to estimate the Moon’s distance at perigee and apogee. We use simultaneous observations of asteroid 1996 HW1 obtained with small telescopes in Socorro, New Mexico, and Ojai, California, to obtain a value of the Astronomical Unit of (1.59±0.19)×108 km, about 6% too large. The data and methods presented here can easily become part of an introductory astronomy laboratory class.

Twelfth-century Cosmography, the De secretis philosophie, and Māshā’allāh (Attr. to), Liber de Orbe

The Liber de orbe, attributed to Māshā'allāh (fl. 762–ca. 815) in the list of Gerard of Cremona's translations, stands out as one of the few identifiable sources for the indirect knowledge of Peripatetic physics and cosmology at the very time Aristotle's works on natural philosophy themselves were translated into Latin, from the 1130s onward. This physics is expounded in an opening series of chapters on the bodily constitution of the universe, while the central section of the treatise covers astronomical subjects, and the remaining parts deal with meteorology and the vegetal realm. Assuming that Gerard of Cremona's translation of the Liber de orbe corresponds to the twenty-seven chapter version that circulated especially during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, it was, however, not this version, but a forty-chapter expansion thereof that became influential as early as the 1140s. It may have originated in Spain, as indicated, among others, by a reference to the difference of visibility of a lunar eclipse between Spain and Mecca. Unlike the twenty-seven chapter Liber de orbe, this expanded and also partly modified text remains in manuscript, and none of the three copies known so far gives a title or mentions Māshā'allāh as an author. Instead, the thirteenth-century witness that is now in New York attributes the work to an Alcantarus: Explicit liber Alcantari Caldeorum philosophi. While no Arabic original of the twenty-seven chapter Liber de orbe has come to light yet, Taro Mimura of the University of Manchester recently identified a manuscript that partly corresponds to the forty-chapter Latin text, as well as a shorter version thereof.

Twelfth-century Cosmography, theDe secretis philosophie, and Māshā'allāh (Attr. to),Liber de Orbe

TheLiber de orbe, attributed to Māshā'allāh (fl. 762–ca. 815) in the list of Gerard of Cremona's translations, stands out as one of the few identifiable sources for the indirect knowledge of Peripatetic physics and cosmology at the very time Aristotle's works on natural philosophy themselves were translated into Latin, from the 1130s onward. This physics is expounded in an opening series of chapters on the bodily constitution of the universe, while the central section of the treatise covers astronomical subjects, and the remaining parts deal with meteorology and the vegetal realm. Assuming that Gerard of Cremona's translation of theLiber de orbecorresponds to the twenty-seven chapter version that circulated especially during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, it was, however, not this version, but a forty-chapter expansion thereof that became influential as early as the 1140s. It may have originated in Spain, as indicated, among others, by a reference to the difference of visibility of a lunar eclipse between Spain and Mecca. Unlike the twenty-seven chapterLiber de orbe, this expanded and also partly modified text remains in manuscript, and none of the three copies known so far gives a title or mentions Māshā'allāh as an author. Instead, the thirteenth-century witness that is now in New York attributes the work to an Alcantarus:Explicit liber Alcantari Caldeorum philosophi. While no Arabic original of the twenty-seven chapterLiber de orbehas come to light yet, Taro Mimura of the University of Manchester recently identified a manuscript that partly corresponds to the forty-chapter Latin text, as well as a shorter version thereof.

Morphology control of gold nanoparticles on glass surface realized by electric field assisted dissolution method

Noble metal nanoparticles have potential applications in photonics, catalysis, and bio-labeling, owing to their much unique optical properties and surface activities. Monodisperse spherical Au nanoparticles with sizes in a range of about 60-80 nm are formed on the glass surfaces via ion sputtering and follow-up heat treatment. At an appropriate temperature, the electric field assisted dissolution process of Au nanoparticles is realized by the strong direct current electric field in step-like feature. In the different color areas of glass surface, it can be found that the original spherical Au nanoparticles are dissolved into the particles with the shape of a lunar eclipse. From surface plasmon resonance absorption properties and scattering electron microscopy images of Au nanoparticles in the different color areas, the influence of experimental condition on property of gold nanoparticle is demonstrated. From the current-voltage characteristics in electric field assisted dissolution experimental process, the physical process of Au nanoparticle dissolution under strong direct current electric field is analysed: the tunneling process of ejected electrons from Au particles to the anode starts, then followed by transfer process of Au cations to the glass matrix and the combination process of electrons from cathode with a positive charge Au particles. The physical mechanism of morphology control of Au nanoparticles realized by electric field assisted dissolution method is discussed in detail.

Chasing shadows: mathematics, astronomy, and the early history of eclipse reckoning

Lunar and solar eclipses have always fascinated human beings. Digging deep into history, Clemency Montelle examines the ways in which theoretical understanding of eclipses originated and how ancient and medieval cultures shared, developed, and preserved their knowledge of these awe-inspiring events. Eclipses were the celestial phenomena most challenging to understand in the ancient world. Montelle draws on original research-much of it derived from reading primary source material written in Akkadian and Sanskrit, as well as ancient Greek, Latin, and Arabic-to explore how observers in Babylon, the Islamic Near East, Greece, and India developed new astronomical and mathematical techniques to predict and describe the features of eclipses. She identifies the profound scientific discoveries of these four cultures and discusses how the societies exchanged information about eclipses. In constructing this history, Montelle establishes a clear pattern of the transmission of scientific ideas from one culture to another in the ancient and medieval world. Chasing Shadows is an invitingly written and highly informative exploration of the early history of astronomy.

The impact of the Kasatochi eruption on the Moon's illumination during the August 2008 lunar eclipse

The Moon's changeable aspect during a lunar eclipse is largely attributable to variations in the refracted unscattered sunlight absorbed by the terrestrial atmosphere that occur as the satellite crosses the Earth's shadow. The contribution to the Moon's aspect from sunlight scattered at the Earth's terminator is generally deemed minor. However, our analysis of a published spectrum of the 16 August 2008 lunar eclipse shows that diffuse sunlight is a major component of the measured spectrum at wavelengths shorter than 600 nm. The conclusion is supported by two distinct features, namely the spectrum's tail at short wavelengths and the unequal absorption by an oxygen collisional complex at two nearby bands. Our findings are consistent with the presence of the volcanic cloud reported at high northern latitudes following the 7-8 August 2008 eruption in Alaska of the Kasatochi volcano. The cloud both attenuates the unscattered sunlight and enhances moderately the scattered component, thus modifying the contrast between the two contributions.

ECLIPSES IN AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL ASTRONOMY

We explore about fifty different Australian Aboriginal accounts of lunar and solar eclipses to determine how Aboriginal groups understood this phenomenon. We summarize the literature on Aboriginal references to eclipses. We show that many Aboriginal groups viewed eclipses negatively, frequently associating them with bad omens, evil magic, disease, blood and death. In many communities, elders or medicine men claimed to be able to control or avert eclipses by magical means, solidifying their roles as providers and protectors within their communities. We also show that some Aboriginal groups seem to have understood the motions of the Sun-Earth-Moon system, the connection between the lunar phases and tides, and acknowledged that solar eclipses were caused by the Moon blocking the Sun.

On the Eclipse of Thales, Cycles and Probabilities

According to classical tradition, Thales of Miletus predicted the total solar eclipse that took place on 28 May 585 bce. Even if some authors have flatly denied the possibility of such a prediction, others have struggled to find cycles which would justify the achievement of the philosopher. Some of the proposed cycles have already been refuted, but two of them, namely those of Willy Hartner and Dirk Couprie, remain unchallenged. This paper presents some important objections to these two possibilities, based on the fact that these authors do not list all the eclipses potentially visible by their criteria. In addition, any explanation based on cycles will need to face the complex problem of visibility (smallest observable eclipse, weather…). The present article also includes a statistical study on the predictability of solar eclipses for a variety of periods, similar to that performed by Willy Hartner for lunar eclipses, resulting in lower probabilities in the solar case (and percentages depend on the chosen magnitude limit). The conclusion is that none of the cycles proposed so far provides a satisfactory explanation of the prediction, and, on statistical grounds, none of the periods studied leads to a significant probability of success with solar eclipse cycles.

Visual Aspects of the Transmission of Babylonian Astronomy and its Reception into Greek Astronomy

Summary Evidence for the transmission of Babylonian astronomy into the Greco-Roman world is well attested in the form of observations, numerical parameters and astronomical tables. This paper investigates the reception of Babylonian astronomy in the Greco-Roman world and in particular the transmission, transformation and exploitation of the layout of texts and other visual information. Two examples illustrate this process: the use of Babylonian lunar eclipse records by Greek astronomers and the adaptation of Babylonian methods of eclipse prediction in the Antikythera Mechanism.

생활천문자료의 웹 서비스 구현에 관한 연구

천체의 운동을 관측한 다양한 천문학 자료들이 오랫동안 우리의 실생활에 활용되어져 왔다. 이 생활천문자료에는 일출몰시각 자료와 음양력변환 자료, 일식과 월식 등을 포함하는 천문현상 자료, 그리고 태양의 고도와 방위각 자료가 있으며, 계절에 대한 정확한 정보가 필요했던 고대의 농경사회에서는 농업을 위한 기본자료로 사용되었고 천문현상과 정권유지를 유기적으로 연결한 고대집권세력에 의해서 정치적으로 이용되기도 하였다. 현대에 와서도 이들 생활천문자료들은 건축물의 일조량 관련 문제와 일출몰 시각과 관련된 법적분쟁 등 다양한 분야에서 지속적으로 이용되고 있다. 이와 같이, 생활천문자료는 순수과학의 결과물이 실생활에 직접적으로 이용되는 좋은 사례이다. 그러나 이 자료들은 역서를 통해 배포되고 있으며 사용자들은 주로 민원신청을 통해 자료를 확보하기 때문에 이용에 불편함이 많았다. 본 연구에서는 이 자료들을 보다 쉽게 이용하고 체계적으로 관리할 수 있도록 MySQL 기반의 웹 서비스 시스템을 구축하였다. The astronomical data obtained by observations of celestial objects movements are useful in our daily life. These data - such as 1) sunrise and sunset data, 2) data transformation between lunar calendar and solar calendar, 3) solar eclipse and lunar eclipse data, and 4) sun's altitude and azimuth data - were used to important things in the agricultural society and ancient kingdom. In the modern society, these data have been used continuously for the legal disputes, construction of buildings and the other areas. This is a good example of pure science data using directly in our life. However there are difficulties to public service because all the data were printed as an Almanac. Using MySQL, we constructed web-based service system which makes to use them easily. This database system was made for the quick search using the calculated orbital data of celestial bodies.

Study on the system of night hours for decoding Korean astronomical records of 1625–1787

This paper presents a study of the dates and times of astrophysical phenomena seen in the night time hours in Korea between 1625 and 1787. This is a period when two different calendars were used and it is important to know which calendar was used to record events such as lunar eclipses. It is known that the Joseon court adopted Shixianli (a Chinese calendar of Adam Schall) in 1654, the fifth reign of King Hyojong. However, the year when the court introduced the calendar into the system of night hours has not yet been determined. To know the enforcement year is very important for studies on astronomical events that are presented in Korean historical documents. From Seungjeongwon Ilgi (Daily Records of the Royal Secretariat), we compile a total of 90 lunar eclipse records referring to the observation time of the eclipses and calculate the times of occurrence of the eclipses with respect to the calendrical methods: Chiljeongsan Naepyeon (a Korean calendar) and Shixianli. As a result, we find that the system of night hours by the former calendrical method was used in the Joseon dynasty until as late as 1710. We also verify that the times of sunrise and sunset were considered as the moments when the center of the Sun reached the horizon according to Chiljeongsan Naepyeon at least. Therefore, we think that this study will contribute to the studies on astronomical phenomena of the Joseon dynasty, particularly on the estimate of the observation time.