Date: Wed, 17 Feb 93 05:05:46 From: Space Digest maintainer Reply-To: Space-request@isu.isunet.edu Subject: Space Digest V16 #191 To: Space Digest Readers Precedence: bulk Space Digest Wed, 17 Feb 93 Volume 16 : Issue 191 Today's Topics: *** CRESCENT MOON - RAMADAN - Sunday 21 Feb *** Anonymous & pseudonymous posting Have anybody data about Soviet rocket test launches in 1945-1992? Life on Saturn Mars observer arrival No More Privacy, No More Challenger SETI TARGETED SEARCH Wood Pulp/Ice/Landing Strips.. Welcome to the Space Digest!! Please send your messages to "space@isu.isunet.edu", and (un)subscription requests of the form "Subscribe Space " to one of these addresses: listserv@uga (BITNET), rice::boyle (SPAN/NSInet), utadnx::utspan::rice::boyle (THENET), or space-REQUEST@isu.isunet.edu (Internet). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1993 12:38:37 GMT From: Mohib N Durrani Subject: *** CRESCENT MOON - RAMADAN - Sunday 21 Feb *** Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.physics,sci.space Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim ( I begin with the name of ALLAH, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful ) THE MUSLIM STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION (MSA) of COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 102 Earl Hall, Columbia University, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10027 SUBJECT: CRESCENT MOON: FIRST VISIBILITY (every lunar month) ************************************************************** NEXT CRESCENT (NEW) MOON, HILAL: Sun 21 FEB 1993, evening (*) The first world-wide sightings MAY be in Western USA/Canada on Sun 21 Feb'93 then, after the International Date Line, most of the northern hemisphere will sight the Crescent on Mon 22 Feb 1993, some of the southern hemisphere will sight the Crescent on Tue 23 Feb 1993. RAMADAN the 9th. Islamic Month in 1413 AH MAY start on Mon 22 Feb 1993, for USA/Canada, IF there is confirmed sighting on Sun 21 Feb 1993. RAMADAN will MOST PROBABLY start on Tue 23 Feb, inshallah, for USA/Canada, and for most of the Northern Hemisphere, and on Wed 24 Feb 1993 for some of the Southern Hemishpere based on the criteria of VISUAL SIGHTING of the CRESCENT MOON (HILAL). It is IMPOSSIBLE for the Crescent Moon to be visible on the evening of Sun 21 Feb 1993, anywhere east of the Americas. RAMADAN CANNOT start on Mon 22 Feb 1993 for any place East of USA/Canada. The Last 10 Odd nights of searching for the NIGHT OF POWER, "LAILA-TUL-QADAR" For most of the World, with Hilal sightings on evening of Monday Feb 22, 1993: 1413 RAMADAN 01 21 23 25 27 29 1993 FEBURARY 22 MAR 14 16 18 20 22 Night of: Mon Sun Tue Thu Sat Mon **************************************************************************** Please note that the Islamic dates start from Sundown of a previous day. **************************************************************************** See also postings in soc.culture.african, ..arabic, ..bangladesh, ..pakistan, ..turkish, soc.religion.islam for the significance of RAMADAN, the month of FASTING. (*) Hilal (crescent) sightings would be in the evenings, at least 10 minutes after sunset, usually before 20 minutes, and upto 40 to 90 minutes after sunset; near and along the sun's path. ********************************************************************** * WORLD RECORD: "THE YOUNGEST NAKED-EYE CRESCENT MOON SIGHTING" * * "BADAT & AL-THANI SIGHTING": 13 hrs 24 min after New Moon Phase * * Friday 5 May 1989 from Houston, Texas, USA * * Ref: Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol 83/3, Pages 34-36 * * Newsletter/Bulletin, June 1989 * ********************************************************************** We are conducting research/survey on the recorded WORLD-WIDE first sightings of the "CRESCENT MOON, FIRST VISIBILITY" in the evenings, for every lunar month. Some TECHNICAL INFO. is at the end. PHOTOGRAPHS / SLIDES ARE MOST WELCOME since they are very helpful in the research. Please also pass on the request to your friends who are interested in astronomy/physics and to your local amateur astronomy associations. We would very much like to hear from you. Please respond either by email or by letter. The survey results are to enhance the present ATMOSPHERIC MODEL and fine tune some parameters regarding SCATTERING/VISION. When reporting actual Crescent-Hilal sightings, (even if you do not see it) PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: HILAL was visible to naked eye?......... Hilal sighted in binoculars?........ EXACT TIMES: Complete Sunset at......... Hilal First Visible....... End...... HEIGHT-Degrees: Hilal highest........... Hilal lowest (faded/set)............ ORIENTATION: Ends of Hilal Curve: Start at......'O Clock:End at.....'O Clock (Right is 3'O Clock:Bottom is 6'O Clock:Left is 9'O Clock:Top is 12'O Clock) WEATHER condition: Rel.Humidity......... Temperature..... Pressure........... Sky near western horizon: Clear?........ Hazy?........... Cloudy?............ OBSERVER: Age.... Eyesight: Glasses?.... Far sighted?.... Near sighted?...... Name....................... Date........ Location............................ Thanks. Email to: mnd@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Dr.Mohib.N.Durrani) Mail: Dr.Mohib.N.Durrani Islamic Amateur Astronomers Association (Research Division) 601 West 113 Street, Suite 11-K Columbia University NEW YORK, N.Y. 10025 United States of America **************************************************************************** Some ORBITAL details for the SUN and MOON: Lunation No.: 868 NEW MOON (not crescent visible moon): 1993 Feb 21d 13h 05m UT (Universal Time), Sunday. (Universal Time, i.e. mean solar time on the meridian of Greenwich) EQUATORIAL coords.(at 0h UT) ECLIPTIC coords.(at 0h UT) Date Sun Sun MOON MOON Sun MOON MOON MOON MAR R.A. Decl. R.A. Decl. Long. Long. Lat. true Elong '93 Alpha Delta Alpha Delta Lambda Lambda Beta from Sun hr deg hr deg deg deg deg deg *21 Su 22.30 -10.58 21.81 -08.31 332.47 326.51 4.64 W 8 *22 Mo 22.36 -10.23 22.55 -03.84 333.47 338.41 4.93 E 7 23 Tu 22.42 -09.86 23.27 +00.74 334.48 350.41 5.00 E 22 24 We 22.49 -09.48 00.00 +05.30 335.48 002.14 4.85 E 27 * Sighting Information provided on (*) Date(s) **************************************************************************** 1993 FEBRUARY 21 (Sun) evening Event times are approximate 1413 RAMADAN (9th Islamic Month) Civil - clock - Standard times (nearest) (+N,-S) (+E) Zone SUN MOON AGE at MOON-SUN Unaided-Eye CITY LAT LONG -UT SET SET Sunset Alt/Az SIGHTING *********** deg deg h h m h m h m DegDeg ********** MAKKAH-S.Arab 21.4 39.8 +3 18 22 18 22 2 17 1 5 IMPOSSIBLE DAR SALAM-Tnz -6.8 39.2 +3 18 45 18 36 2 40 -1 5 IMPOSSIBLE % MOSCOW - USSR 55.8 37.6 +3 17 47 18 06 1 42 3 4 IMPOSSIBLE % ISTANBUL-Turk 41.0 28.9 +2 17 46 17 56 2 41 3 4 IMPOSSIBLE CAIRO - Egypt 30.1 31.3 +2 17 48 17 53 2 43 2 5 IMPOSSIBLE KHARTOUM-Sudn 15.5 32.6 +2 17 55 17 55 2 50 1 5 IMPOSSIBLE @CAPETOWN-S.Af -33.8 18.6 +2 19 31 19 12 4 26 -3 4 IMPOSSIBLE LAGOS-Nigeria 6.5 3.4 +1 18 59 18 59 4 54 1 5 IMPOSSIBLE ALGIERS-Algra 36.8 3.0 +0 17 34 17 47 4 29 3 4 IMPOSSIBLE % GREENWICH-Engl 51.5 0.0 +0 17 26 17 48 4 21 4 3 IMPOSSIBLE DAKAR-Senegal 14.7 -17.5 +0 19 16 19 22 6 11 2 5 IMPOSSIBLE % RIO DeJENEIRO -22.9 -43.2 -3 18 28 18 20 8 23 -1 6 IMPOSSIBLE PARAMARIBO-Suri 5.9 -55.2 -3 18 53 19 00 8 48 3 6 IMPOSSIBLE @BUNOS ARESarg -34.7 -58.4 -3 19 40 19 27 9 35 -2 6 IMPOSSIBLE % LIMA-Peru S.A -12.4 -77.0 -5 18 34 18 35 10 29 1 7 IMPOSSIBLE (#) = May be visible on Previous Evening, with Difficulty. (@) = May NOT be visible even on Next Evening. % (add 1 hr to event time, during summer DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, from nearly early April to nearly end of October) **************************************************************************** It is IMPOSSIBLE for the Crescent Moon to be visible on the evening of Sun 21 Feb 1993, anywhere east of the Americas. RAMADAN CANNOT start on Mon 22 Feb 1993 for any place East of USA/Canada. **************************************************************************** 1993 FEBRUARY 21 (Sun) evening Event times are approximate 1413 RAMADAN (9th Islamic Month) Civil - clock - Standard times (nearest) (+N,-S) (+E) Zone SUN MOON AGE at MOON-SUN Unaided-Eye CITY LAT LONG -UT SET SET Sunset Alt/Az SIGHTING *********** deg deg h h m h m h m DegDeg ********** % HALIFAX -CNDA 44.6 -63.6 -4 17 52 18 19 8 47 6 3 IMPOSSIBLE % NEW YORK -USA 40.8 -74.0 -5 17 38 18 05 9 33 6 3 IMPOSSIBLE % MIAMI - USA 25.8 -80.2 -5 18 18 18 37 10 13 5 5 IMPOSSIBLE % CHICAGO - USA 41.2 -87.6 -6 17 32 18 01 10 27 6 3 IMPOSSIBLE % DALLAS - USA 32.8 -96.8 -6 18 18 18 43 11 13 6 4 IMPOSSIBLE % DENVER - USA 39.7 -105.0 -7 17 43 18 14 11 38 7 3 IMPOSSIBLE % SAN DIEGO-USA 32.7 -117.1 -8 17 39 18 07 12 34 7 4 DIFFICULT % SAN FRANCISCO 37.7 -122.4 -8 17 55 18 27 12 50 7 3 DIFFICULT % VANCOUVER-CND 49.3 -123.1 -8 17 43 18 25 12 38 7 2 DIFFICULT % ANCHORAGE-Als 61.1 -150.0 -9 18 05 19 08 14 00 8 -1 DIFFICULT % HONOLULU -Hwi 21.3 -157.5-10 18 31 18 58 15 26 7 5 PROBABLE (#) = May be visible on Previous Evening, with Difficulty. (@) = May NOT be visible even on Next Evening. % (add 1 hr to event time, during summer DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, from nearly early April to nearly end of October) The HILAL (Crescent) SIGHTING COMMITTEE for USA-Canada has decided that when the CRESCENT is VISIBLE - in the evening - anywhere from Halifax, NewYork, Miami, SanDiego, SanFrancisco, to Vancouver, then in the USA-Canada, the next ISLAMIC MONTH STARTS from SUNSET of THAT DATE. The DAY that is shared (Islamic and Gregorian) is the NEXT Gregorian date. (INCREASE date one day, if crossing EAST TO WEST) ##################### INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE ###################### (DECREASE date one day, if crossing WEST TO EAST) 1993 FEBRUARY 21 (Sun) evening Event times are approximate 1413 RAMADAN (9th Islamic Month) Civil - clock - Standard times (nearest) (+N,-S) (+E) Zone SUN MOON AGE at MOON-SUN Unaided-Eye CITY LAT LONG -UT SET SET Sunset Alt/Az SIGHTING *********** deg deg h h m h m h m DegDeg ********** %@SYDNEY-Austra -33.9 151.2+10 18 42 18 11 2 47 -5 1 IMPOSSIBLE TOKYO - Japan 35.7 139.7 +9 17 28 17 19 4 03 -1 5 IMPOSSIBLE % PEKING -China 39.9 116.4 +8 17 57 17 53 5 39 -0 5 IMPOSSIBLE JAKARTA-Indon -6.3 106.9 +7 18 14 17 58 5 56 -3 4 IMPOSSIBLE DHAKA -B.Desh 23.8 90.3 +6 17 57 17 52 7 14 -0 5 IMPOSSIBLE AGRA - India 27.2 77.9 +5 17 44 17 41 8 06 -0 5 IMPOSSIBLE PESHAWAR -Pak 33.6 71.4 +5 18 04 18 05 8 35 1 5 IMPOSSIBLE BUKHARA -Uzbk 39.6 64.6 +4 17 25 17 29 0 20 2 5 IMPOSSIBLE TEHRAN - Iran 35.7 51.4 +3 17 22 17 26 1 17 2 5 IMPOSSIBLE (#) = May be visible on Previous Evening, with Difficulty. (@) = May NOT be visible even on Next Evening. % (add 1 hr to event time, during summer DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, from nearly early April to nearly end of October) **************************************************************************** Please note that the Islamic dates start from Sundown of a previous day. **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** EVENING OF ONE DAY AFTER NEW MOON (New Moon is NOT visible, Crescent is) 1993 FEBRUARY 22 (Mon) evening Event times are approximate 1413 RAMADAN (9th Islamic Month) Civil - clock - Standard times (nearest) (+N,-S) (+E) Zone SUN MOON AGE at MOON-SUN Unaided-Eye CITY LAT LONG -UT SET SET Sunset Alt/Az SIGHTING *********** deg deg h h m h m h m DegDeg ********** MAKKAH-S.Arab 21.4 39.8 +3 18 22 19 11 26 17 12 5 VISIBLE DAR SALAM-Tnz -6.8 39.2 +3 18 45 19 15 26 40 8 10 PROBABLE % MOSCOW - USSR 55.8 37.6 +3 17 49 19 16 25 44 12 -3 VISIBLE % ISTANBUL-Turk 41.0 28.9 +2 17 47 18 54 26 42 13 1 VISIBLE CAIRO - Egypt 30.1 31.3 +2 17 49 18 45 26 44 13 3 VISIBLE KHARTOUM-Sudn 15.5 32.6 +2 17 55 18 41 26 50 12 6 VISIBLE CAPETOWN-S.Af -33.8 18.6 +2 19 30 19 41 28 25 3 13 IMPOSSIBLE LAGOS-Nigeria 6.5 3.4 +1 18 59 19 42 28 54 11 8 VISIBLE ALGIERS-Algra 36.8 3.0 +0 17 35 18 42 28 30 14 1 VISIBLE % GREENWICH-Engl 51.5 0.0 +0 17 28 18 54 28 23 14 -2 VISIBLE DAKAR-Senegal 14.7 -17.5 +0 19 16 20 08 30 11 13 7 VISIBLE % RIO DeJENEIRO -22.9 -43.2 -3 18 27 18 53 32 22 7 14 MOST PROBABLE PARAMARIBO-Suri 5.9 -55.2 -3 18 54 19 43 32 49 13 9 VISIBLE BUNOS ARESarg -34.7 -58.4 -3 19 39 19 54 33 34 4 16 DIFFICULT % LIMA-Peru S.A -12.4 -77.0 -5 18 34 19 12 34 29 10 13 MOST PROBABLE (#) = May be visible on Previous Evening, with Difficulty. (@) = May NOT be visible even on Next Evening. % (add 1 hr to event time, during summer DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, from nearly early April to nearly end of October) **************************************************************************** EVENING OF ONE DAY AFTER NEW MOON (New Moon is NOT visible, Crescent is) 1993 FEBRUARY 22 (Mon) evening Event times are approximate 1413 RAMADAN (9th Islamic Month) Civil - clock - Standard times (nearest) (+N,-S) (+E) Zone SUN MOON AGE at MOON-SUN Unaided-Eye CITY LAT LONG -UT SET SET Sunset Alt/Az SIGHTING *********** deg deg h h m h m h m DegDeg ********** % HALIFAX -CNDA 44.6 -63.6 -4 17 53 19 20 32 48 16 -1 VISIBLE % NEW YORK -USA 40.8 -74.0 -5 17 39 19 03 34 34 16 -1 VISIBLE % MIAMI - USA 25.8 -80.2 -5 18 19 19 27 34 14 16 4 VISIBLE % CHICAGO - USA 41.2 -87.6 -6 17 33 18 59 34 28 16 -1 VISIBLE % DALLAS - USA 32.8 -96.8 -6 18 19 19 37 35 14 17 2 VISIBLE % DENVER - USA 39.7 -105.0 -7 17 45 19 11 35 40 17 -0 VISIBLE % SAN DIEGO-USA 32.7 -117.1 -8 17 40 19 01 36 35 17 2 VISIBLE % SAN FRANCISCO 37.7 -122.4 -8 17 56 19 23 36 51 17 0 VISIBLE % VANCOUVER-CND 49.3 -123.1 -8 17 44 19 28 36 39 17 -4 VISIBLE % ANCHORAGE-Als 61.1 -150.0 -9 18 07 20 25 38 02 16 -8 VISIBLE % HONOLULU -Hwi 21.3 -157.5-10 18 32 19 46 39 27 18 5 VISIBLE (#) = May be visible on Previous Evening, with Difficulty. (@) = May NOT be visible even on Next Evening. % (add 1 hr to event time, during summer DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, from nearly early April to nearly end of October) The HILAL (Crescent) SIGHTING COMMITTEE for USA-Canada has decided that when the CRESCENT is VISIBLE - in the evening - anywhere from Halifax, NewYork, Jacksonville, SanDiego, SanFrancisco, to Vancouver, then in the USA-Canada, the next ISLAMIC MONTH STARTS from SUNSET of THAT DATE. The DAY that is shared (Islamic and Gregorian) is the NEXT Gregorian date. (INCREASE date one day, if crossing EAST TO WEST) ##################### INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE ###################### (DECREASE date one day, if crossing WEST TO EAST) EVENING OF ONE DAY AFTER NEW MOON (New Moon is NOT visible, Crescent is) 1993 FEBRUARY 22 (Mon) evening Event times are approximate 1413 RAMADAN (9th Islamic Month) Civil - clock - Standard times (nearest) (+N,-S) (+E) Zone SUN MOON AGE at MOON-SUN Unaided-Eye CITY LAT LONG -UT SET SET Sunset Alt/Az SIGHTING *********** deg deg h h m h m h m DegDeg ********** % SYDNEY-Austra -33.9 151.2+10 18 40 18 40 19 35 1 10 IMPOSSIBLE TOKYO - Japan 35.7 139.7 +9 17 29 18 15 19 24 10 3 PROBABLE % PEKING -China 39.9 116.4 +8 17 58 18 51 20 53 11 2 MOST PROBABLE JAKARTA-Indon -6.3 106.9 +7 18 14 18 37 22 09 7 9 PROBABLE DHAKA -B.Desh 23.8 90.3 +6 17 58 18 42 22 53 11 5 MOST PROBABLE AGRA - India 27.2 77.9 +5 17 45 18 33 23 40 11 4 MOST PROBABLE PESHAWAR -Pak 33.6 71.4 +5 18 05 18 59 24 00 12 3 VISIBLE BUKHARA -Uzbk 39.6 64.6 +4 17 26 18 26 24 21 12 1 VISIBLE TEHRAN - Iran 35.7 51.4 +3 17 23 18 21 25 18 12 2 VISIBLE (#) = May be visible on Previous Evening, with Difficulty. (@) = May NOT be visible even on Next Evening. % (add 1 hr to event time, during summer DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, from nearly early April to nearly end of October) **************************************************************************** Please note that the Islamic dates start from Sundown of a previous day. **************************************************************************** Ref: ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA (Yearly) Nautical Almanac Office, Wash. DC. **************************************************************************** ISLAMIC GREGORIAN MOON - MOON - MOON - MOON - MOON Sun - EARTH YEAR. YEAR. NEW MOON MOON-PERIGEE MOON-APOGEE MONTHS LUNA. (NOT visible) (nearest) (farthest) NO. (All times are in UT = Universal Time) 1413 *1992* d h m d h d h d h 1 MUHARAM 860 JUN 30 12 18 JUL 2 01 JUN 19 22 JUN 21 03 Solstice 2 SAFR 861 JUL 29 19 35 JUL 30 08 JUL 17 11 3 RABI-I 862 AUG 28 02 42 AUG 27 18 AUG 13 16 4 RABI-II 863 SEP 26 10 40 SEP 25 03 SEP 9 19 SEP 22 19 Equinox 5 JUMA-I 864 OCT 25 20 34 OCT 23 05 OCT 7 06 6 JUMA-II 865 NOV 24 09 11 NOV 19 00 NOV 3 23 7 RAJAB 866 DEC 24 00 43 DEC 13 21 DEC 1 20 DEC 21 15 Solstice DEC 29 17 1413 *1993* d h m d h d h d h 8 SHABAN 867 JAN 22 18 27 JAN 10 12 JAN 26 10 JAN 4 03 Perihelon 9 RAMADAN 868 FEB 21 13 05 FEB 7 20 FEB 22 18 10 SHAWWAL 869 MAR 23 07 14 MAR 8 09 MAR 21 19 MAR 20 15 Equinox 11 ZulQADA 870 APR 21 23 49 APR 5 19 APR 18 05 12 ZulHAJJ 871 MAY 21 14 06 MAY 4 00 MAY 15 22 MAY 31 11 ISLAMIC GREGORIAN MOON - MOON - MOON - MOON - MOON Sun - EARTH YEAR. YEAR. NEW MOON MOON-PERIGEE MOON-APOGEE MONTHS LUNA. (NOT visible) (nearest) (farthest) NO. (All times are in UT = Universal Time) 1414 *1993* d h m d h d h d h 1 MUHARAM 872 JUN 20 01 52 JUN 25 17 JUN 12 16 JUN 21 09 Solstice 2 SAFR 873 JUL 19 11 24 JUL 22 08 JUL 10 11 JUL 4 22 Apihelion 3 RABI-I 874 AUG 17 19 28 AUG 19 07 AUG 7 04 4 RABI-II 875 SEP 16 03 10 SEP 16 15 SEP 3 17 SEP 23 00 Equinox 5 JUMA-I 876 OCT 15 11 36 OCT 15 02 SEP 30 21 6 JUMA-II 877 NOV 13 21 34 NOV 12 12 OCT 28 00 7 RAJAB 878 DEC 13 09 27 DEC 10 14 NOV 24 13 DEC 21 20 Solstice DEC 22 08 1414 *1994* d h m d h d h d h 8 SHABAN 879 JAN 11 23 10 JAN 6 01 JAN 19 05 JAN 4 Perihelion 9 RAMADAN 880 FEB 10 14 30 JAN 31 04 FEB 16 02 10 SHAWWAL 881 MAR 12 07 05 FEB 27 22 MAR 15 17 MAR 20 Equinox 11 ZulQADA 882 APR 11 00 17 MAR 28 06 APR 12 00 12 ZulHAJJ 883 MAY 10 17 07 APR 25 17 MAY 9 02 MAY 24 03 1415 *1994* d h m d h d h d h 1 MUHARAM 872 JUN 9 08 26 JUN 21 07 JUN 5 13 JUN 21 Solstice **************************************************************************** Equinox = Earth has Equal Daylight and Darkness (Mar 21 & Sept 23) Solstice = Sun apparantly Stationary in Declination (Maximum of Summer: June 21 & Min. of Winter: Dec 22) Perihelion = Earth Closest to Sun (Sun moving FASTEST in sky: Jan 3) Aphelion = Earth Farthest from Sun (Sun moving SLOWEST in sky: Jul 6) Perigee = Moon Closest to Earth (Moon moving FASTEST in sky) Apogee = Moon Farthest from Earth (Moon moving SLOWEST in sky) **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** APPROXIMATIONS TO DIRECTION OF KA'BA (MAKKAH Saudi Arabia) In most places of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, an APPROXIMATION to the direction of KA'BA, to determine the DIRECTION OF SALAT (PRAYERS), can be obtained by noting the direction of your SHADOW near the time of SUNSET. The direction in which your shadow goes is usually a little north of east DURING WINTER. This is the direction in which salat can be performed, as an approximation. This direction of the shadow changes during the different months of the year but is a good approximation when there is no magnetic compass to determine the exact direction. During summer, the shadow goes south of east and hence we would have to turn further north from the shadow, ie. further to the left of the evening shadow. For locations in the West of America the direction is even further North from the shadow, ie. even further to the left of the shadow. **************************************************************************** Copyright Dr.M.N.Durrani, 1987 - 1993 Permission to copy for free distribution is granted to all, please do give credit and reference. Thanks. For further information, please feel free to contact: Mail: Dr.Mohib.N.Durrani Islamic Amateur Astronomers Association (Research Division) 601 West 113 Street, Suite 11-K Columbia University NEW YORK, N.Y. 10025 United States of America Email to: mnd@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Mohib.N.Durrani) ***************************** End of Document ****************************** Look For The CRESCENT MOON ( HILAL ), --- >>> ) It Is One Of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF CREATIONS; ---- >>>> ) Then Offer An INTENSE PRAYER To The ONE CREATOR, ---- >>>> ) All Sincere DEVOTIONS Are Surely ACCEPTED. --- >>> ) ------------------------------ Date: 16 Feb 93 05:04:25 GMT From: Karl Barrus Subject: Anonymous & pseudonymous posting Newsgroups: sci.space Well, I've tried to read most of the posts and the responses concerning anonymous posting, and have decided to post what I hope is a reasoned argument for anonymous/pseudonymous posting. I'm not quoting any other posts, but will respond to some concerns others have raised. WHY ANONYMOUS POSTING? Actually, I think the service is more appropriately called pseudonymous posting. Mail to anon.penet.fi is remailed or posted under a pseudonym. A real anonymous service would make it impossible to track the poster; for example, posting all messages under one id. Then only complete logs would allow the administrator of the service figure out who sent what. Okay, so why allow anonymous/pseudonymous/whatever posting? Ideally, to allow the free flow of ideas. Yes, I know that we don't live in Utopia and along with such a service will come abusers, but I can't see closing down a useful service just because there are a few people who will abuse it. The phone company and post office provide pretty decent anonymous service, and both have their share of abusers, and both have adjusted to deter this kind of behavior. But back to usenet. If somebody is abusing the anonymous service, then by all means, follow up! Reply to them, reply to the administrator, just like you would if they were not posting via an anonymous service. WHY DO WE NEED ANONYMOUS POSTING? Some argue that anonymous posts aren't needed in their newsgroups, and should be restricted to the alt.* hierarchy, where several personal newsgroups exist. Anonymous posts are "noise". Well, I read sci.crypt, and I can tell you that recently 90% of the posts were noise, and 10% were about cryptography. You'll always have noise, whether or not people post anonymously. Admittedly, it is difficult for me to see why someone would need to post to gnu.* anonymously, or news.* anonymously, or comp.* anonymously, or even sci.* anonymously. But there are groups in the other hierarchies in which it may become necessary, besides the alt.* groups. What about groups in the rec.* hierarchy? Or the talk.* hierarchy? Several groups there discuss "hot" political topics. Especially the soc.* hierarchy. Some argue that the opinions of the people who hide behind a veil of anonymity are worthless, and that people should own up to their thoughts. I agree with the latter point - in an ideal world we would all be sitting around engaging in Socratic dialogues, freely exchanging our opinions in an effort to learn. But in an ideal world nobody will threaten you for your thoughts, or ridicule you. But we live in a world where the people who don't agree with you may try to harm you. Let's face it, some people aren't going to agree with your opinion no matter how logically you try to present it, or how reasoned out it may be. This is sad since it does restrict people from voicing their opinions. For example, what if you had an opinion on the recent riots in India? Or whether or not homosexuals should be in the military? What about social security taxes? I wouldn't advise going around posting your ideas in the soc.* or talk.* groups. Politicians get paid for that; exposing yourself to that kind of ridicule or danger is ill advised. And sci.space? What if you have recommendation about the space program, but are afraid a post might cause you grief at your job? I can attest to this - I work for a NASA contractor and have some ideas about improvements, but I would never post them non-anonymously. So anonymous/pseudonymous posting is a way for you to air out your thoughts while remaining private. Think about talk radio shows: you can call up and give your opinion on controversial issues; usually, you just need to give your first name. So this is fairly anonymous as well. I'm not advocating abusing the anonymous/pseudonymous service. People who consistently abuse the service (mail bombs and attacks, threats, etc.) should be relieved of their anonymous account. Finally, let me remind you of a real life situation in which someone published their views, and others took great offense and have threatened the author's life: Salmon Rushdie, author of the _Satanic Verses_, currently living in fear for his life. (I'm not Muslim, nor have I read the book, and I'm only a bit familiar with the Koran/Quran. I don't know the controversy surrounding the book other than threats have been made for perceived heresy (?); pretty much what I've read in the papers about the matter.) This post is longer than I intent, so I'll stop here. I don't read sci.space or news.admin.policy frequently, and this will be the only post from me. If you want, continue the discussion with me via email. /-----------------------------------\ | Karl L. Barrus | | elee9sf@menudo.uh.edu | <- preferred address | barrus@tree.egr.uh.edu (NeXTMail) | \-----------------------------------/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Feb 93 12:38:00 +0300 From: "Voevodin S.A." Subject: Have anybody data about Soviet rocket test launches in 1945-1992? Newsgroups: sci.space Sir, Please send me any data about Soviet rocket test launches in 1945-1992. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sergey A. Voevodin 8 Okruzhnoy proezd 11-2, 156014 Kostroma, Russia e-mail: vsa@msd.orbi.kostroma.su tel: +7 0942 553291 ------------------------------ Date: 16 Feb 93 15:07:50 GMT From: Richard Ottolini Subject: Life on Saturn Newsgroups: sci.space In article <1lpqbcINNmgm@werple.apana.org.au> petert@zikzak.apana.org.au (Peter T.) writes: >Recently a friend of mine asked me if I know anything about >life on Saturn {no not interdimensional garb}. Apparently a >friend of a friend of ....... , said something about life being >found on Saturn and heard it on the local news. > >Correct me if I'm wrong but if I remember correctly, Voyager 2 >detected organic molecules in Saturn's upper atmosphere or >in one of it's rings, and I concluded that thats what this is all >about. Scientists speculate there is a small possibility of life in a postulated hydocarbon soup on Titan, Saturn's moon. Perhaps the next probe- Casini- early next century may learn more about this. ------------------------------ Date: 16 Feb 93 14:42:38 GMT From: Dave Jones Subject: Mars observer arrival Newsgroups: sci.space Andrew Todd Weinstein (aw2s+@andrew.cmu.edu) wrote: > > I calculated when the Mars Observer will get to Mars, I did > 42,000,000 km from Mars divided by 18,000 km/hour and then divided that > by 24 hours to get the number of days, and it came out to be 97 days > from Mars. Is this a valid calculation or does the speed of the > observer change periodically? > You need to look up the details of transfer orbits to Mars as well as look at that "face" picture with a more critical eye. Study the shapes of the shadows, my friend. Your velocity numbers don't work because you only have the tangential velocity of MO along its orbit. The closing velocity with Mars is the figure you need, but that's a changing number as the craft is on an elliptical orbit that meets Mars's orbit at a tangent. Transit time to Mars for a lander-type orbit around the planet is around 11 months. Mariner 9 went there in slightly under six months, so there is room for variation depending on what final orbit you want. Viking 1 took 11 months, Viking 2 a little longer. You don't get much change in these numbers without burning lots of fuel, which means reducing payload. MO is scheduled to arrive at Mars in August, say 180 days from now (according to the sci.space FAQ). -- ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||Marketing is the business of selling || Honk if you like Einstein |||||||||||projects to management. ||------------------------------------------------------------------------ ||Dave Jones (dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com)|Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY | ------------------------------ Date: 16 Feb 93 13:03:04 GMT From: 00acearl@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu Subject: No More Privacy, No More Challenger Newsgroups: sci.space By the gods, enough is enough! Can someone answer this question: Why is there so much bandwidth tied up with articles discussing the merits of anonymous posting? Perhaps the authors of these article should post exclusively to alt.privacy and leave sci.space to its topic. Perhaps someone who is unsure whether or not he wishes to be identified with an article written for a space sciences newsgroup SHOULD NOT POST THE ARTICLE; that would be a simple solution to this ridiculous problem. This is supposed to be a forum for the discussion of scientific issues and not for shadowy nonsense. Aaron Christopher 00acearl@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Feb 93 14:03:31 GMT From: Dave Jones Subject: SETI TARGETED SEARCH Newsgroups: sci.space Andrew Haveland-Robinson (andy@osea.demon.co.uk) wrote: > > ... is Sirius A, B and C targeted? > > Andy. > I doubt it. The stars are not of a type likely to support Earth-like planets. In any case one of the earlier SETI projects checked them out at the behest of journalists researching the African Dogon tribe and their unexplained "knowledge" of Sirius having a companion. No signals were found. -- ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||Marketing is the business of selling || Honk if you like Einstein |||||||||||projects to management. ||------------------------------------------------------------------------ ||Dave Jones (dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com)|Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY | ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1993 14:34:27 GMT From: Dave Stephenson Subject: Wood Pulp/Ice/Landing Strips.. Newsgroups: sci.space psgwe01@bcsaic.boeing.com (Gerald Edgar) writes: >There was a effort to create mid-ocean refueling stations in WWII. The >idea was to create an iceberg made of wood chips and ice as a cheap aircraft >carrier (no propultion of course). It was tried off Greenland, it worked, >but it turned out not to be needed later- when the planes could be flown >non-stop trans-atlantic. By the way, they also tested this for munitions >effects, torpedos had little effect, making only small dents. >I do not remember the source for this information. >Gerald Edgar >"My opinions are my own, not my employers" That was Habbakkuk. The plans were for a simple ice island at the start, but before the end the plans were for a real 2 million ton carrier with propulsion (8 knts max speed). A WW2 torp made a two foot crater in the beast. Its walls would have been 25 feet thick. As a Canadian participant said at the time: "This project is so damned wakky there has to be something in it!" -- Dave Stephenson Geodetic Survey of Canada Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Internet: stephens@geod.emr.ca ------------------------------ End of Space Digest Volume 16 : Issue 191 ------------------------------