"WET" MOON AND "DRY" MOON.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10238, 30 August 1909, Page 6

"WET" MOON AND "DRY" MOON.

Popular superstition dies hard. No one -who expends any thought on the matter, can possibly connect rainfall with the direction of the moon's cusps; yet many persons still believe that on the position of the lunar crescent depend changes in. the weather which may be foretold with accuracy. The reasons for the alteration in the appearance of the new- moon, at different times, together -with some interesting variants of the superstition, are given by Arthur K. Uartletfc in an article contributed to Popular Astronomy. He writes : . % . "At the time of 'new' moon, the cusps or 'horns' of the 'crescent sometimes lie in a line which is nearly perpendicular with the horizon, and at other times in a line nearly parallel with the horizon. In the former case the moon is commonly described as 'wet' rr.oon, and in the latter case as a 'dry' moon, and owing to the changing position of the crescent seen on the western sky after sunset, such expressions as these are frequently heard: 'lf the moon lies so water cannot run out, wo shall have a drought' ; 'A wet moon is one upon which the Indian can hang his powder-horn/ etc. Now, it -is a fact not generally known that the crescent moon always npP ears 'upon its back' in spring, near the vernal equinox, /and 'upon its end' in autumn, near the autumnal equinox, and these positions, which occur regularly each year, may be easily understood by a little consideration after the conditions have once been carefully explained. "The change of direction of the moon's horns is caused by the varying position of the moon, when at her 'new/ relatively to the sun and the earth, and depends upon the difference in declination of the sun and moon. If the moon be.further north than the sun-soon after the 'new/ the sunlight strikes upon her and she appears with her 'horns' upturned; but if she be further south the light reaches around her disk to the northward, and her 'horns' appear nearly vertical, as if the crescent moon was resting upon one of them.- Yve see the moon in varying positions on the sky, and at first sight there appears to be no definite relation between her position and the position of her cusps or 'horns.'. In fact, this feature of her aspect has seemed so changeful and capricious that it has even been regarded as a weather token. But in. reality there is a simple relation always fulfilled by the moon's horns, or points of the crescent. The line joining them is always at right angles or perpendicular to a line drawn from the sun to the moon, so that the •horn.s'. arc always turlied directly away from the sun. The exact position in which they will stand at any time is, therefore, easily predictable, and has nothing whatever to do with the weather."