From: astrolog@byron.u.washington.edu (Walter D. Pullen)
Newsgroups: alt.astrology
Subject: Re: Full Moon
Summary: Moon does so affect tides!
Keywords: Moon!
Date: 6 Oct 92 08:21:51 GMT
Organization: University of Washington

In article <92279.161042RVESTERM@vma.cc.nd.edu> <RVESTERM@vma.cc.nd.edu> writes
>someone said something like, "i have a theory about the full moon.  much
>like the moon's gravitation causes tides, it causes the gas and liquid in
>the brain to 'rise up' and exert pressure..."
>did you ever THINK about your theory? there are two things about it, that
>with only a little thought, you can see are blatantly wrong:
> 1) tides are only observable because of the hugeness of the ocean.
>    when's the last time you noticed the tide in a small pond? the
>    brain is much smaller than a small pond.  the way that tides work
>    is that one side of the ocean (e.g., the pacific) is much closer
>    to the moon than the other side (e.g., the atlantic) is.  thus,
>    more gravitational force is applied to one side than the other,
>    resulting in the pull of the waters, which is the tide.

Very good! Most people know that Moon causes tides, but not as many
know it's the gravitational distances between the Moon and the points
on the Earth that cause the tidal bulges (i.e. the bulge of water
toward the side facing the moon because of the increased gravitational
tug there, and the bulge of water on the opposite side of the Earth
due to the *decreased* pull there.) However, don't forget that the Sun
also causes tides in a similar fashion to the Moon, although since the
Moon is much closer, it's tides are slightly more obvious. See below:

> 2) you may argue the first point, conceivably.  not a very safe argument,
>    but you may argue it nonetheless.  however, this second point is
>    irrefutable: THE FULL MOON HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TIDES.  tides occur
>    daily, not monthly.

As any person who lives near the Ocean knows, the phase of the Moon
plays a VERY important part in the size of the tides. Yes tides occur
twice daily due to the rotation of the Earth as you say, but the
relative magnitudes of each high or low tide run in a monthly cycle
based on the phase of the Moon. Since *both* the Moon and Sun cause
significant tides, when they are aligned or in opposition (New or Full
Moon) the tidal distortion is much higher, and hence we have what's
called a Spring Tide. When they are at right angles to the Earth (Sun
square Moon) their respective tides partially cancel each other out,
and we have smaller daily water level changes called Neap Tides.

>but, of course, facts will convince no one.

You said it, not me :-) Remember gang, things which may not seem to be
true when you initially look at them, even in the clear cut realm of
science, may turn out to be so if one takes a little longer to
meditate on the forces involved.

PS: Recognizing that the Moon, ruling Cancer, birth, and motherhood,
controlling the 29.5 day tidal cycle and so seemingly connected with
the feminine menstrual cycle, culminates in a fertility celebration
every Full Moon, one can take the opposite point, where Moon is least
visible, and rearrange the letters in "New Moon" and get "No Women"! :-)

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|     Walter D. "Cruiser1" Pullen    -    astrolog@byron.u.washington.edu     |
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