We must be changing directions with our wobble again. On Saturday night (July 3) at its orbital peak the moon was really low, not more than 35 degrees above the southern horizon. Sunday night (July 4) it had swung back some, to about 45 degrees above the southern horizon. And last night (July 5) it was about 50 degrees above the horizon here in Mississippi.
Joe
Note that per Skymap, the orbital peak should not be more than 30° on July 3, 32° on July 4, and 35° on July 5, thus some 15° above expected by July 5. Other reports indicating aberations on rising and setting, indicate a wobble in the Earth, not the Moon. Here the Moon is setting a full 15° too far SOUTH, bearing in mind that 210° of compass is further South than would be indicated by the Azi, which is based on geographic N/S.
- The full moon set this morning, July 2, at 210 degree of compass here in Washington State. For those not familiar with these sorts of things, that heading is a mere 30 degrees away from magnetic south! And just a scant few hours earlier, the full moon made it's daily appearance at 128 degrees east, southeast. During the entire course of it's transit across the southern sky, it never rose more than 30 degrees from the horizon. It moves to the West as it has been doing each month since January of this year. The pattern for the last 6 months of the waning moon has been a consecutive daily westward movement in the point of rise. This has continued through the entire first half of the waning phase. Usually at a point near the end of the third quarter of wane, the moon's transit appears to make a radical shift back to the East. The only rational explanation for this is that the earth is experiencing a wobble! A huge wobble!
- Cliff, at Rumor Mill Message Board
