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Nick's G-Rated Humor List
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Forwarded by Miles Goldstein/chordiant on 12/13/99 10:47 AM
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This year will be the first full moon to occur on
the winter solstice, Dec. 22, commonly called the
first day of winter, since 1866. 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 its
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 cars
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 ancestors 133 years ago saw this. Our descendants
100 or so years from now will see this again.
I hope someone else might find this interesting!
Remember this will happen December 22, 1999.
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