Talk:Lunar node

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The lunar node in astrology was a potential copyright vio from [1]. I have removed it. If you want to rewrite the article, or think this do so at Moon's nodes (astrology)Squiquifox 00:53, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC). "© Michael McClain 1996-2003. Permission is granted for unlimited noncommercial use. All other rights reserved". Does this give wiki the right to publish this or not. I for one would prefer not to publish and put something else in instead, and it shgould anyway have been sourced. Squiquifox 16:08, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Obviously YES this gives Wiki the right to re-publish this material -- you posted the permission yourself <<Permission is granted for unlimited noncommercial use. All other rights reserved.>> I've talked to this guy -- he doesn't even care, as long as someone isn't trying to make a profit off of this info. And, of course, Wiki is FREE!

Standstills

If one tracks the Moon in the sky on a continuous basis, one will notice its declination (celestial latitude) oscillates regularly between extreme values. Every half-synodical month (about 27 times per year), the Moon reaches a maximum of minimum declination value. This is called a standstill (the word has the same meaning as the "-stice" part of "solstice").

Because the Moon's orbit maintains a relatively constant inclination with respect to the ecliptic but precesses rather quickly about the ecliptic pole (completing a cycle in a little less than 19 years), the declination it can reach in the sky varies accordingly between limits of about 28.59° and 18.29°. This affects strongly the azimuth of moonrise and moonset. If an observer tracks the position on his horizon of successive moonrises, for example, it will appear to travel north, reach some maximum value, then travel south, reach a minimum value, and then head north again, over a period of nearly 19 years. When the Moon is nearing its maximum declination or moonrise/set azimuth, it will appear to rise or set in the same spot several nights in a row —this is the major standstill. When the Moon nears the minimum declination or moonrise/set azimuth, the same phenomenon occurs, and is dubbed the minor standstill. Prehistoric astronomers knew about this phenomenon and kept track of it.

More information on lunar standstills can be found here.

I removed that, thou wellwritten, because there is indeed no interrelationship to nodal, but to siderial period--W!B: 18:09, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

Moon phase at extremes

Tom, yes you are right about the phase at the extremes. I must have been mesmerized by viewing the latest (almost) full moon. Regards, --Dennis Noson 216.254.24.172 17:29, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Wrong Picture

The picture shows the constellations Ursa Major (Great Bear / Big Dipper) and Ursa Minor (Little Bear), which are not on the ecliptic. Therefore the dragon on the picture is not the two nodes but the constellation Draco (dragon). Curryfranke (talk) 14:23, 30 May 2012 (UTC)

Lunar node

I read on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_node : "Since the orbital plane of the Moon precesses in space, the lunar nodes also precess around the ecliptic, completing one revolution (called a draconic or nodal period) in 18.612958 years (6,798.383 days). (Note that this is not the same length as a saros.) " The length of Saros is 18.03 years NOT 18.61 years. Sources: any serious astronomy book and https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saros

J-P Lacroix jpl@ancientcartography.net — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:2788:556:C6:98B7:BB17:F735:9D14 (talk) 21:44, 7 June 2018 (UTC)

And as the sentence you quoted says: "this [draconic period] is not the same length as a saros". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.58.132.37 (talk) 22:43, 10 November 2019 (UTC)