2005.04.D.01 Extreme New Moons Created by James3 on 9/7/2019 2:36:08 PM Extreme New Moons
Greetings
Following is an email about "extreme new moons". Sighting of the new moon at less than 1% visibility.
For me this further calls into question the validity of using sighting in Israel for determining the day of the new moon and therefore the dates of the calendar.
On the basis that in the time of Moses they had more than adequate astronomical knowledge and methods to determine the new moon by astronomical computation it seems to me that determination on this basis, which is then available to any believer anywhere in the world with basic resources but without daily communication with observers in Israel, is the approach to be used.
Warm regards and blessings
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nehemia Gordon" <ngordon4@yahoo.com>
To: "Karaite Korner Newsletter" <karaite_korner_news@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2005 11:06 AM
Subject: [Karaite Korner Newsletter] #206: Extreme New Moons
Extreme New Moons
Over the last year a number of breakthrough new moon sightings have taken place. Until about a year ago it was generally believed by astronomers that the moon is never visible when less than 1% illumination (of its surface area facing earth). However, in the past year the moon has been sighted on more than one occasion with less than 1% illumination! This blows away all previous algorithms for new moon visibility prediction. These groundbreaking sightings may be due to the increased interest in recent years in new moon sightings. As more skilled observers gain experience in sighting new moons, the known limits of visibility are pushed to their extreme. But this also raises problems. How can we verify a sighting under such extreme conditions? Such a moon would not appear visible to a camera lens. For now we must take these extreme "less than 1%" observations with a grain of salt. As more extreme observations are made, we will know if these sightings are reliable or not. Time will tell whether we are dealing with the 4-minute mile or with cold-fusion.
This coming month we have another one of these extreme observations. At sunset April 9, 2005 the moon will have 0.81% illumination and 46 minutes lagtime (Alt: 8.68 deg; DAZ 1.15 deg) from Israel. The breakthrough observations in the past year indicate that the moon could theoretically be visible under these conditions. Only the testimony of experienced observers will determine if this moon can really be seen.
Nehemia Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel
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