Long - The 2012 Moon Almanac

The 2012 Moon Almanac (and the 2012 Moon Calendar)
Copyright Kim Long, 2011

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

The Experiment, LLC
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www.theexperimentpublishing.com

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011934009
ISBN 978-1-61519-041-6
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61519-143-7

Cover design by Alison Forner
Cover photographs by iStock

Distributed by Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Distributed simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Limited
First published October 2011

Almanacs have been around for thousands of years. The concept originated as a source of information about cycles of time, espeically the movements of the Sun and Moon. The Moon itself predates the Sun as the predominate celestial timekeeper. It was a key visible element to mark the start of months, years, and religious holidays, but it was tough to coordinate with the solar year.

In modern times, the traditional concept of almanacs has expanded to include entertainment content, trivia, and general knowledge. Meanwhile, both printed and online sources provide ready access to detailed, accurate information about the Sun and the Moon. The Moon itself has been the object of signficant scientific study, with more underway. Astronauts landed on its surface in 1969, eliminating many unknowns, but it still remains an object of mystery and superstition to many.

With this publication, we return to the origins of the almanac genre, providing a new kind of annual reference, a source of useful, reliable, and informative facts about the Moon and its regular cycles. This almanac has its origins in , an annual publication that was born in 1981 and continues today.

Our modern culture may no longer rely on the Moon as a guide to calendar cycles, but the remnants of past wonder continue. With nothing but the unaided eye, any adult or child can share in this age-old magic, continuing our unending fascination with our nearest celestial neighbor.

Kim Long

Oh, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb.
William Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet, c. 1596)

Data used in The 2012 Moon Almanac and The 2012 Moon Calendar was provided by the U.S. Naval Observatory and other sources of astronomical information. The contents were produced with the guidance of Larry Sessions, astronomer.

PST	MST	CST	EST	UT
Pacific Standard Time	Mountain Standard Time	Central Standard Time	Eastern Standard Time	Universal Time
8 hours	7 hours	6 hours	5 hours

During Daylight Saving Time, subtract 1 additional hour. Daylight Saving Time begins March 11 and ends November 4.

The Moon orbits around the Earth on an elliptical path, an oval that puts it closer to us at some points in the lunar month. The closest point of this ellipse is the perigee; the point when it is farthest is the apogee.

The distance between these two extremes is about 10 percent, enough to create a visible difference in the size of the full moonas much as 14 degrees, wider if it falls at one extreme or the other. This effect is compounded when the full moon is rising or setting; the closeness to the horizon and the proximity to trees, buildings, and other objects combine to produce this illusion.

On May 5 (May 6 for time zones east of the United States), the Moon will be at its closest to the Earth for the year and the closest in about nineteen years. Also on this day, the full moon will occur at almost the same point in timewithin two minutes of the perigeea rare coincidence (informally called a supermoon) that means the rising full moon will appear to be even larger than normal and could affect the height of tides.

The charts below are based on Universal Time (UT). See to correct for local time zones.