Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-05-10
THE MOON AND THE WEATHER.

Aiter test1ng the question again and again,
modern meteorolOgists have come to the con-
clusion that the moon has no sort of influence
over the weather, agreeing with the Iron Duke
that 1t Is nonsense to place any faith in her as
thought absolute mistress Of the season. Pliny
has the following luna weather wisdom: Fine
weather, wind, or rain may be looked for &C
corning as the moon rises with pure white,
the disk Is clear, fine weather Is betokened; if
red, wind; black, rain If at the rising of the
new moon the upper horn Is Obscured, there
will be prevalence Of wet when she is on the
wane; If the lower horn is Obscured, there will
be rain before she attains her full If both horns
appear obtuse, frightful tempest is near; if
expected. Darwin declares il as a sure sign of
coming rain when the moons head is hidden in
haloes. A correspondent Of Notes and Queries
says large circle round the moon. with a north
OF northeast wind, predicts stormy weather; ii
the wind comes from any other quarter there
will still be rain, but less Of 1t. If, however
the moon rises after sunset, the appearance of
ring around her is not SO significant as the
A ring round the moon,
May pass away soon;
But ring round the sun
Gives water in the tun.
An old Spanish proverb says the circle of the
moon never filled pond, but the circle of the
sun vets shepherd while an English rhyme
II round the moon circles seen
81 white, and ali the sky's serene,
The following day. you may divine,
VIII surely prove exceedingly fine.
Wiener, in autumn or In spring,
mist the moon doth with it bring,
At noon the san will bright appear,
The evening be serene and clear.
The turning mp of the horns Of the new moon
Is another sign of fair weather. There's no
likelihood Of drop now, an the moon lies Xix.
2 boat there" says somebody in Adam Bede.
Southey notices this notion in one of his letters
Poor Littledale has this day explained the
cause OF the rains which prevailed for the last
five weeks, by theory which win probablybe
a. new to You as 1t IL TO me. have observed, >
he says, that when the neon has turned up
ward We have fine weather after It, but when il
Is turned down, then We have wet season, and
the reason 1 think is that when IL is turned
and down 1t comes.'" It Is q very common
belief that the weather depends upon the moon
changing before or after midnight; q belief
absurd on the face Of 1t, since, as has been well
observed, the moon may change before IL at
DR.. Adam Clarke was oblivious Of this fact
when he put forth weather progDosticatOr,
through al the lunations Of each wear forever
showing the observer what kind Of weather viii
most probably follow the entrance of the moon
into any one of her quarters, and that so near
the truth as to seldom or never be found to fail.
Our readers can easily decide as to the worth of
the reverend doctors weather guide; they have
only to note the time Of the moons entrance
upon new quarter, and compare the actual
result with that anticipated by the prognostica-
tor. IT would be useless to quote his formula
ted observ atoms, for, like ali other prophecies
concerning the lunar phenomena, there 10 q
total neglect Of the fact that weather is local
ard not universal. In other words, the change
In the moon that IL supposed to have given good
been attended with exceedingly bad weather in
Scotland. Ch0nbers' Journal.