Dawn
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Guys, I'm trying to get my head around this, so just bear with me a bit. (I've had problems with the 'day of the dead moon' before.)
So if the New Moon was at 1.52pm on the 22 Jan, does that mean that the moon rose and set during the day? I know it does this sometimes. Or can a New Moon occur when it is not visible, i.e.. when it is currently on the other side of the world? Do you have to see it to determine it is a New Moon? Or is it just timed from the last full moon? What I'm trying to understand is, if the moon was not visible at night, because it had set early, then how were the Zulu's to know what phase exactly, it was in? We have a few references to the night time being dark as the was no moon viz Smith-Dorrien and the troops who spent the night on Black's Kopjie on the night of the 22nd. I'm sorry, but I'm in that stupid question mode again. Dawn |
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Mike McCabe
Guest
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I've simply miscopied Keith's very helpful original input.
Would this be GMT (or ZULU) time. In which case, is it also the time of the 'eclipse'. We've been here before, and I think other websites trace international acceptance of Greenwich time to an 1880s date. MC McC |
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Keith Smith
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The time I gave for the new moon was local (Pietermaritzburg) time. The eclipse was at its maximum at 2.29 p.m. PMB time, again according to the Natal Almanac.
Dawn The moon waxes and wanes regardless of the time on Earth. Sometimes, especially when it is full, it can be seen during the day, as I am sure you have observed. The Zulu would not be aware of this sort of thing but they certainly recognised when there was no moon. KIS |
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Peter Quantrill
Guest
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David Rattray has sent me his view on the subject.
" The moon phase in question is not the new moon. It is the last quarter of the lunar cycle- i.e. before the new moon. On this day the moon is invisible because it is hiding in the glare of the sun. The Zulus called it ' usuku olumnynmana' or the ' black day.' It was like a sabbath to them. No burial of the dead, no marriages etc and there are numerous Zulu accounts which tell us that they were to avoid fighting on this day. It is of course significant that there were actions in the south ( Nyezane) on this same day as Isandlwana- and for that matter some minor activities in the north." |
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DEAD MOON - BIT OF PRECISION NEEDED? |
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