The Democratic advocate., 1873-07-05
Our Olo.
The Moon and the Weather.

After testing the question again and
again, modern meteorologists have come
to the conclusion that the moon has no
sort Of influence over the weather, agree
ing with the Iron Duke that it is non
sense to place any faith in her as a
weather predictor. Time was when she
was thought absolute mistress of the sea-
sons. Pliny has the following lunar
weather wisdom Fine weather, wind or
rain may be looked for according as the
moon rises with a pure white, red or
swarthy light. If, at full moon, half the
disc is clear fine weather is betokened /;
if red, wind if 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 they
are sharp and erect high winds may be
expected. Darwin declares it as a sure
sign of coming rain when the moons head
is hidden in haloes. A correspondent of
Notes and Queries says a large circle
around the moon, with norrh or north
east wind, predicts stormy weather; if the
winds come from any other quarter there
will still be rain, but less of il. If, how
ever, the moon rises after sunset, the ap-
pearance of ring round her is not so
significant as the Dutch rhyme puts it,
A ring round the moon
May pass away soon
But n ring round the sun
Gives water in the tun.
An old Spanish proyerb says the circle
Of the moon never filled pond; but the
circle Of the sun vets a shepherd; while an
English rhyme pronounces =
If round the moon circles seen
Ofwhite, and all the sky's serene,
The following day, you may devine,
Will surely prove exceeding fine.
And
Whence in autumn or in spring,
A mist the moon doth with it bring,
At noon the sun will bright appear,
The evening be serene and clear
The turning up of the horns Of the new
moon is another sign of fair weather.
"There's no likelihood of drop now, an
the moon lies like boat there, says some
body 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 a theory which will probably
be as new to you as it is to me. II have
observed" he says, "that when the moon
is turned upward we have fine weather
after it, but when it is turned down then
We have wet season; and the reason, |
think, is, that when it is turned down it
holds no water, like a basin, you know,
and down it comes 1t is IA very CON
mon belief that the weather depends upoi
the moon changing before or after mid
night-a belief absurd on the face of it,
since, as has been well observed, the moon
may change before twelve at Westminster
and after twelve at st. Paul's.
DIR. Adam Clarke was oblivious of this
fact when he put forth a weather prognos-
ticator, through all the lunations each
year, forever, showing the observer what
kind Of weather will 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 antici-
pated by the prognosticator. 1t would be
useless to quote his formulated observa-
tions, for, like all other prophecies con-
cerning the lunar phenomena, there is
total neglect of the fact that weather is
local and universal. In other words, the
change in the moon that is supposed to
have given good weather in the south of
England has probably been attended with
exceedingly bad weather in Scotland
Gambers's Journal.