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Before gravity was understood, what did the ancients think caused tides?
Some people explained the motion of the planets by assuming that the planets were being pushed by angels. The same may have been true for tides. In other words, the explanation was found in supernatural forces. Since the Mediterranean Sea is very little affected by the tides, the ancient Greeks and Romans paid very little attention to it. Plutarch and Aristotle recognized the Moon as the cause of the tides, without understand gravitational pull. Pliny believed that the Moon had an attraction which caused the tides. Other scientists, like Ptolemy, settled just for a description without searching for a cause.
Last 7 Days
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
I'm not old enough to remember the Moon landings. I'd like to know what phase the Moon was in on July 20, 1969.
It was in the waxing phase, six days old. (The new Moon was on the 14th.)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Has anyone else seen a Moon rainbow? If so, are they common?
The lunary rainbow, seldom seen, is usually observable soon after dark, following a brief summer storm or shower, when the Moon is nearly full.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
In south Texas, I saw the largest ring around the Moon I've ever seen. Why so big and does it predict weather?
The ring around the Moon (and sometimes the Sun) is called a halo. The most common halos are caused by hexagonal ice prisms where the light enters and exits through one of the side faces and the halos have a diameter of 44 degrees. A quite rare form of halo is produced by cubic ice crystal or by hexagonal ice prisms where the light goes through the end faces of the prism and this halo has an diameter of 92 degrees. I am sure you saw this 92 degree halo in that clear Texan night-a rare event. In 60 years of observing the nigh sky, I have only seen this twice. As far as I know, it has no weather prognosticating indications.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
What is a "Catfish Moon"?
We couldn't find specific information on a Catfish Moon. However, in colonial America, the full Moon of March was called the Fish Moon. This probably had something to do with the beginning of fish spawning season along the eastern coast of the United States. Old catfishermen believed the best time to fish was three days before a full Moon to three days after a full Moon. They also believed that the day of the new Moon (the dark of the Moon) was a good time to fish for catfish. Not that you asked, but we did discover a play entitled "Catfish Moon," written by Laddy Sartin, and an Australian blues band of the same name.
Friday, March 5, 2010
What exactly is a waning or waxing gibbous or crescent Moon?
First, gibbous refers to the shape you can see when the lighted surface of the Moon is bigger than a crescent shape; the crescent shape is defined by the distinct points on the lighted sliver. The Moon moves in these phases: new Moon, waxing crescent, first quarter Moon, waxing gibbous, full Moon, waning gibbous, last quarter Moon, waning crescent, back to new Moon. So waxing means the moon is on its way to being full; waning means the Moon is on its way to being new (the phase you really can't see).
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Before gravity was understood, what did the ancients think caused tides?
Some people explained the motion of the planets by assuming that the planets were being pushed by angels. The same may have been true for tides. In other words, the explanation was found in supernatural forces. Since the Mediterranean Sea is very little affected by the tides, the ancient Greeks and Romans paid very little attention to it. Plutarch and Aristotle recognized the Moon as the cause of the tides, without understand gravitational pull. Pliny believed that the Moon had an attraction which caused the tides. Other scientists, like Ptolemy, settled just for a description without searching for a cause.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
I'm not old enough to remember the Moon landings. I'd like to know what phase the Moon was in on July 20, 1969.
It was in the waxing phase, six days old. (The new Moon was on the 14th.)
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