Lunar Phenomena Research Articles

MondSymbolik – MondWissen. Lunare Konzepte in den ägyptischen Tempeln griechisch-römischer Zeit by Victoria Altmann-Wendling

This publication comprises the slightly revised version of the author’s doctoral dissertation, which was submitted in 2017 to the Philosophical Faculty of Eberhard Karls University, Tubingen. The study concerns the embedding of lunar phenomena and the Moon’s cycle in religious contexts, while the calendrical aspect plays only a secondary role. The timeframe of the investigation is concentrated on the Ptolemaic-Roman Period. Reviewed by: Stefan Bojowald, Published Online (2021-04-30)Copyright © 2021 by Stefan Bojowald Article PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/aestimatio/article/view/37678/28675 Corresponding Author: Stefan Bojowald,Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University BonnE-Mail: stefan.bojowald@t-online.de

Special features of the studies of deep electrical conductivity of the Moon and the Earth (once more on toroidal mode of natural magnetic field)

Studies of the deep electrical conductivity of the Earth and the Moon are carried out by measuring and analyzing the natural electromagnetic (EM) fields excited by the solar wind, introducing an electric field of the order of 2 mV/m applied to the boundaries of the Earth’s magnetosphere or directly to the surface of the Moon. For a concentrically layered sphere with electrical conductivity σ = σ (r), the EM fields can be represented as the sum of two modes: electric with a toroidal magnetic field and magnetic with a poloidal magnetic field. Each of the modes is associated with electrical conductivity by different ratios/formulas and is characterized by different possibilities for studying the electrical conductivity inside a celestial body. It is generally accepted that currents from the boundary of the Earth’s magnetosphere descend along the geomagnetic field lines to the ionosphere, but do not reach the Earth due to the very high resistance of near-the-surface air layer (up to 1014 Ohm · m) and only poloidal fields of the magnetic mode are induced in the solid Earth. A review of the data on the global electric circuit shows that vertical currents penetrate from the atmosphere into the Earth and the electric mode is not equal to zero. Vertical currents are characterized by strong spatio-temporal variability. Separation of the modes from observation data was not carried out. On the Moon, the high-resistance layer is the lithosphere with regolith and breccias on its surface with a resistivity of 107―1012 Ohm · m. Spatial inhomogeneities of the Moon interior are considered and a conclusion is made about their multitude and intensity. Based on the analysis of the spatial distribution of tidal and tectonic moonquakes, it was suggested that they trace quasi-vertical structures like a plume. The results of observations of volcanism and transient lunar phenomena, obtained in recent years by orbital missions with high-resolution equipment, indicate an intense degassing of the moon. All this allows us to conclude that in the Moon there are quasi-vertical conductors supporting an electric mode. Proposals for the optimization of new studies of the electrical conductivity of the moon are substantiated and formulated. Deep studies of electrical conductivity are based on a theoretical model of the magnetic mode, the existence of the electrical mode is neglected, and it falls into unidentified noise, which by means of coherent analysis and multi-stage processing is largely eliminated and the conductivity models more or less correctly describe the real geoelectric structure of the Earth, but with probable systematic errors. Separation and study of the electric mode should be considered as an additional channel of information in EM studies of planets.

A Critical Edition of the Candrārkī of Dinakara

A set of tables devoted to solar and lunar phenomena entitled the Candrārkī was prepared in Sanskrit by the sixteenth-century Indian astronomer Dinakara. Along with the tables, Dinakara composed a short accompanying text which instructed the user how to extract and manipulate the tabular data to construct their own calendar for any desired year and geographical circumstances. The work proved to be popular. Based on a small fraction of the extant manuscripts, we present a critical edition of the text together with a discussion of the challenges raised while preparing the edition.

Using a planetarium fieldtrip to engage young children in three-dimensional learning through representations, patterns, and lunar phenomena

ABSTRACTFieldtrips to informal science institutions can be opportunities for children to engage in three-dimensional learning, which is the integration of core disciplinary ideas, science practices, and cross-cutting concepts. We explored the question of whether the combination of a planetarium fieldtrip and classroom lessons could support young children's three-dimensional learning in astronomy. We assessed first grade students’ (6–7-year-olds; N = 46) three-dimensional learning at the intersection of lunar phenomena, representational practices, and patterns. Students’ were interviewed, where they both described their understanding verbally and constructed representations, before the intervention, after the intervention, and one year later. A mixed-methods analysis demonstrated significant improvement in students’ three-dimensional learning, focused on the apparent daily motion of the Moon and lunar phases. Analysis of both interview results and audio/video of the intervention suggest that the planetarium fieldtrip provided students with a source of evidence for concepts and patterns related to scientific phenomena, which was then the subject of further inquiry in the classroom as students integrated new science concepts and patterns with their own ideas for how to create scientific representations. These findings suggest that fieldtrips, when supported by students’ classroom experiences, can serve an important role in engaging young children in three-dimensional learning and thus pointing to ways that informal science venues can work with formal educators to engage students in doing science.

TRANSIENT LUNAR PHENOMENA: REGULARITY AND REALITY

Transient lunar phenomena (TLPs) have been reported for centuries, but their nature is largely unsettled, and even their existence as a coherent phenomenon is controversial. Nonetheless, TLP data show regularities in the observations; a key question is whether this structure is imposed by processes tied to the lunar surface, or by terrestrial atmospheric or human observer effects. I interrogate an extensive catalog of TLPs to gauge how human factors determine the distribution of TLP reports. The sample is grouped according to variables which should produce differing results if determining factors involve humans, and not reflecting phenomena tied to the lunar surface. Features dependent on human factors can then be excluded. Regardless of how the sample is split, the results are similar: ~50% of reports originate from near Aristarchus, ~16% from Plato, ~6% from recent, major impacts (Copernicus, Kepler, Tycho, and Aristarchus), plus several at Grimaldi. Mare Crisium produces a robust signal in some cases (however, Crisium is too large for a feature as defined). TLP count consistency for these features indicates that ~80% of these may be real. Some commonly reported sites disappear from the robust averages, including Alphonsus, Ross D, and Gassendi. These reports begin almost exclusively after 1955, when TLPs became widely known and many more (and inexperienced) observers searched for TLPs. In a companion paper, we compare the spatial distribution of robust TLP sites to transient outgassing (seen by Apollo and Lunar Prospector instruments). To a high confidence, robust TLP sites and those of lunar outgassing correlate strongly, further arguing for the reality of TLPs.

Lunar Outgassing, Transient Phenomena, and the Return to the Moon. I. Existing Data

Herein the transient lunar phenomena (TLP) report database is subjected to a discriminating statistical filter robust against sites of spurious reports, and produces a restricted sample that may be largely reliable. This subset is highly correlated geographically with the catalog of outgassing events seen by the Apollo 15, 16 and Lunar Prospector alpha-particle spectrometers for episodic Rn-222 gas release. Both this robust TLP sample and even the larger, unfiltered sample are highly correlated with the boundary between mare and highlands, as are both deep and shallow moonquakes, as well as Po-210, a long-lived product of Rn-222 decay and a further tracer of outgassing. This offers another significant correlation relating TLPs and outgassing, and may tie some of this activity to sagging mare basalt plains (perhaps mascons). Additionally, low-level but likely significant TLP activity is connected to recent, major impact craters (while moonquakes are not), which may indicate the effects of cracks caused by the impacts, or perhaps avalanches, allowing release of gas. The majority of TLP (and Rn-222) activity, however, is confined to one site that produced much of the basalt in the Procellarum Terrane, and it seems plausible that this TLP activity may be tied to residual outgassing from the formerly largest volcanic ffusion sites from the deep lunar interior. With the coming in the next few years of robotic spacecraft followed by human exploration, the study of TLPs and outgassing is both promising and imperiled. We will have an unprecedented pportunity to study lunar outgassing, but will also deal with a greater burden of anthropogenic lunar gas than ever produced. There is a pressing need to study lunar atmosphere and its sources while still pristine. [Abstract abridged.]

Effects of Model‐based Teaching on Pre‐service Physics Teachers’ Conceptions of the Moon, Moon Phases, and Other Lunar Phenomena

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, it was aimed to identify Turkish pre‐service physics teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the Moon, Moon phases, and other lunar phenomena. Second, the effects of model‐based teaching on pre‐service teachers’ conceptions were examined. Conceptions were proposed as mental models in this study. Four different questionnaires including 22 generative, explanation, and factual questions were used through the study. The pre‐service physics teachers’ mental models generated in response to lunar phenomena might be representations of their naïve knowledge as a result of their causal observations and experiences with the world, and their misconceptions as a result of inconsistencies between their naïve knowledge and scientific knowledge. Therefore, the pre‐service teachers’ mental models were categorized based on the work by Chi and Roscoe. Some of the pre‐service teachers’ mental models shifted from flawed or incomplete mental models to correct mental models of the Moon and lunar phenomena with the facilitation of model‐based teaching. The conclusions of the study carry implications for curriculum developers and teacher education.

The influence of lunar phenomena on the incidence of emergency cases

It is widely believed that the incidence of specific emergency cases shows clustering during long observation periods. Though there is no scientific proof, many physicians and other emergency staff believe in influences of the moon or the signs of the zodiac. The aim of our retrospective study over 6 years was to evaluate (a) if there are any statistically documented peaks of frequency of emergency cases at all, and (b) if they can be linked to lunar phenomena. We evaluated all three aspects of the moon: The ‘synodic’ moon (=lunar phases), the ‘sideric’ moon (=distance between moon and the earth) and the moon in her relation to the signs of the zodiac (=influence of the zodiac). A total of 11 134 patients entered the study. We found highly significant clusters of emergency calls, mainly for lung disorders. However, neither aspect of the moon showed the slightest correlation with the frequency of emergency calls (sideric month ( P=0.99), synodic month ( P=0.85) and zodiac ( P=0.85)). Trigonometric regression with the period of the anomalistic month ( P=0.173) and with the synodic month ( P=0.28) did not show any influence of the moon on emergency in either cases. Though our retrospective data analysis documented clustering of emergency cases, any influence of the moon and the signs of the zodiac can be definitely ruled out.

Environmental Influences on Thyroid Function in Teleost Fish

SYNOPSIS. A brief account of some of the influences that environmental factors, such as the lunar cycle, daylength and temperature, may have on thyroid activity in certain salmonids and the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus , is presented. The rapid and immediatecharacter of temperature effects is discussed and a role for central neuroendocrine controlin mediating the effects of photoperiod and lunar phenomena involvement is suggested.

A Unique Solar Marking Construct

An assembly of stone slabs on an isolated butte in New Mexico collimates sunlight onto spiral petroglyphs carved on a cliff face. The light illuminates the spirals in a changing pattern throughout the year and marks the solstices and equinoxes with particular images. The assembly can also be used to observe lunar phenomena. It is unique in archeoastronomy in utilizing the changing height of the midday sun throughout the year rather than its rising and setting points. The construct appears to be the result of deliberate work of the Anasazi Indians, the builders of the great pueblos in the area.

HFT events: Shallow moonquakes?

A few large distant seismic events of distinctly high signal frequency, designated HFT (high-frequency teleseismic) events, are observed yearly by the Apollo lunar seismic network. Their sources are located on or near the surface of the moon, leaving a large gap in seismic activity between the zones of HFT sources and deep moonquakes. No strong regularities are found in either their spatial or temporal distributions. Several working hypotheses for the identity of these sources have been advanced, but many characteristics of the events seem to favor a hypothesis that they are shallow moonquakes. Simultaneous observations of other lunar phenomena may eventually enable the determination of their true identity.

Transient lunar phenomena, deep moonquakes, and high-frequency teleseismic events: possible connections

The positions of the epicentres of the recently discovered, high-frequency teleseismic (h.f.t.), shallow moonquakes have been compared with those of the surface phenomena known as lunar transient phenomena (l.t.p.). About 300 sites for the latter and about 17 shallow moonquake epicentres have been recorded. Most of the epicentres are within 5° of at least one l.t.p. site and the depths are given by Nakamura et al. (1974) as up to 265 km. The present paper considers some of the implications of the correlations between the two classes of sites and between the l.t.p. and the epicentres of the deep moonquakes at levels of about 800-1000 km below the surface. It appears likely that channels produced by the outrush of gases from the interior of the Moon are associated with the sites of the h.f.t. and of the l.t.p. that are almost vertically above them, and that release of gases through poorly consolidated soils at an early stage of the Moon’s history may have led to the formation of at least some of the craters on the Moon.

Electrical conductivity and the thermocline of the Moon

Knowledge of electrical conductivity of lunar materials is required in order to understand various lunar surface and interior phenomena including deduction of lunar temperature profiles. Studies by several investigations of electrical conductivity in controlled environments and at elevated temperatures of Apollo lunar rocks, terrestrial pyroxenes and olivines, and synthetic glasses have shown that conductivity values are dependent primarily on concentration, distribution and oxidation state of iron and only secondarily on silicate crystal structure (e.g. olivine, pyroxene or glass). This general observation provides a reasonable basis for using laboratory conductivity data to deduce lunar interior temperatures from conductivity profiles determined by studies of the interaction of solar wind and Moon. Furthermore, correlation of conductivity with iron content provides a basis for the existence of lunar surface conductivity inhomogeneities. In this presentation, salient laboratory measurements of electrical properties by several investigators are discussed in the context of lunar observations from space missions and compared with appropriate lunar evolutionary models.

The observation of transient lunar phenomena

There has been a great deal of recent discussion about t.l.p. or transient lunar phenomena. My only qualification for discussing them is that I have been watching for them over a period of almost forty years, and have recorded several, but it was only in recent years that they have been accepted as real. They take various forms. Some are merely local obscurations, hiding surface detail which is normally visible; others are obviously coloured, generally red. The classic observation was made by Kozyrev in 1958, who recorded a red t.l.p. in the crater Alphonsus and obtained confirmatory spectrograms (Kozyrev 1959: see also Cattermole & Moore 1967). His interpretations have been disputed, but there can be little doubt that an event of some sort took place. Among other professional records there are observations of t.l.p. in the Aristarchus area by Greenacre and his colleagues at the Lowell Observatory (Greenacre 1965). Going back much further, no less a person that Barnard recorded a distinct t.l.p. in the crater Thales, which he described as being filled with pale luminous haze although adjacent areas were sharp and distinct (Barnard 1892).

Lunar surface movements - the evidence and the causes

A review is made of the various kinds and sources of evidence for motion or disturbance of lunar surface dust. This evidence ranges from the terrestrial reporting of transient lunar phenomena to Apollo Mission evidence such as anomalous alpha particle activity over certain areas such as Aristarchus and Grimaldi craters and the occurrence of horizon glow due to dust suspensions at the lunar sunset terminator. Moonquakes of the deep seated kind are relatively unlikely to cause surface dust motion but shallower quakes and those of thermal origin may correlate with dust movement and consequently with terrestrially observed transients, e.g. just after lunar sunrise. Anomalous alpha particle activity and non-equilibrium of daughter product with parent indicate spasmodic gas evolution at sites like Aristarchus where there is evidence of unusual albedo levels also suggestive of surface motion. Future study of transients will be facilitated by monitoring the degree of polarization of moonlight in its variation across the lunar terrain and its marked sensitivity to dust disturbance.

Explanation of Transient Lunar Phenomena based on Lunar Samples Studies

VARIOUS authors1–4 have shown that transient lunar phenomena (TLPs) are unlikely to arise from the excitation of luminescence in lunar rocks by such agents as the solar wind5, but the luminescent efficiency is many orders of magnitude too low for this emission to be detected even by “line fill” techniques6. To see an effect against the normal moonlight a contrast brightness change of at least 10% is necessary representing an incremental light flux from the surface of the order of 10−2 W cm−2. The most likely cause of such a change is a change in the albedo. The low albedo of about 7% is a factor of 2 or 3 times lower than that of a terrestrial basaltic dust of similar composition. This is because of the “fairy castle” structure of the lunar dust, giving deep intergrain penetration of sunlight and little return except in the incidence direction. If this structure could be destroyed by breaking of the intergrain cohesion, then the albedo would rise. This could be achieved if the dust was “fluidized”. Such a process has already been associated with TLPs by Mills7 but he assumes that the TLP is seen because of the light emission caused by electrical discharges in the venting gases between grains. But the efficiency of excitation of such discharges will be rather low and the same kind of estimate as that made by Nash et al.3 for the luminescence of lunar dust will apply.

Lunar Tidal Phenomena and the Lunar Rille System

Two types of tide-linked lunar phenomena now exist: the so-called lunar transient events, short-lived changes in brightness or colour and obscurations in small areas of the Moon (the reported duration is typically from a few seconds to a few hours and the areas involved are usually a few kilometres or less in diameter); and the A- and B-type seismic signals relayed back from the Apollo 12 passive seismic experiment. The frequency diagrams of both the lunar transien t events and the seismic signals show strong peaks at perigee when the Earth is closest to the Moon, with a smaller peak at apogee (transient events and B-type signal only) and both have been attributed to endogenous causes.Both sets of data appear to be linked to areas where cracks and rilles exist. The most likely interpretation of the two sets of observations is that they are complementary and that some sort of gas release and excitation (in the cases of the glows and colour changes) is involved.Association of the lunar events with craters with seamed and cracked floors and with other crack systems is described. Only a few associated areas of the Moon-wide lineament systems have been noted, but the Apollo 12 seismometer signals seem likely to originate from the nearby system of parallel features in the Fra Mauro area. The case for possible gas volcanism is examined.

Electrical conductivity of lunar surface rocks and chondritic meteorites

The electrical conductivities of several samples from returned Apollo 11 and 12 lunar rocks and from chondritic meteorites were measured from 300 to 1100K. Collectively the lunar samples represent all three of the major NASA classifications of lunar surface rocks. Of general interest is the observation that the conductivities of the lunar samples are much larger than the values which have previously been used in theoretical discussions of lunar phenomena. It is also found that the conductivity at 300K,σ (300), is extremely sensitive to the thermal history of the sample for both lunar and meteoritic material. Magnetic measurements are presented to help characterize the changes which occur upon heating.

Transient Phenomena on the Moon

The occurrence of short-lived, localized colour phenomena on the Moon has long been supported by amateur observers, but it is only in comparatively recent times that there has been satisfactory confirmatory evidence. In view of the recent results from the seismometer left on the Moon by Apollo 12, it seems appropriate to give a summary of the present situation with regard to these transient lunar phenomena now known generally as T.L.P.s.

The luminescent and thermoluminescent properties of granite and its constituent minerals and their relevance to transient lunar phenomena

We have studied the luminescent and thermoluminescent properties of a course-grained microgranite and its manually separated constituent minerals. The object of the experiment was to determine which of the minerals were responsible for the remarkable features which we had previously observed. We found that the large enhancement in luminescent efficiency at −196°C was due to the quartz and the red thermoluminescent glow peak to be due to the feldspar constituent.