Return-path: X-Andrew-Authenticated-as: 7997;andrew.cmu.edu;Ted Anderson Received: from beak.andrew.cmu.edu via trymail for +dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl@andrew.cmu.edu (->+dist+/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr11/tm2b/space/space.dl) (->ota+space.digests) ID ; Fri, 3 Nov 89 04:34:27 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Reply-To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU From: space-request+@Andrew.CMU.EDU To: space+@Andrew.CMU.EDU Date: Fri, 3 Nov 89 04:32:36 -0500 (EST) Subject: SPACE Digest V10 #198 SPACE Digest Volume 10 : Issue 198 Today's Topics: CRESCENT MOON - MON 30 OCT 1989 - RABI UL-AKHIR 1410. The (Inter)National Space Habitat Program Re: Moon Colonies / Ant Tanks? Re: PowerSat Options Re: Rock sizes in space ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 1 Nov 89 00:32:03 GMT From: dasys1!mohib@nyu.edu (Mohib) Subject: CRESCENT MOON - MON 30 OCT 1989 - RABI UL-AKHIR 1410. Standard Disclaimer: This info is independent of Columbia Univ. Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim ( I begin with the name of ALLAH, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful ) THE MUSLIM STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION (MSA) of COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 102 Earl Hall, Columbia University, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10027 SUBJECT: CRESCENT MOON: FIRST VISIBILITY (every lunar month) ************************************************************** NEXT CRESCENT (NEW) MOON, HILAL: Mon 30 OCT 1989, evening (*) for the 4th. Islamic Month of RABI ul AKHIR, 1410, the month starting - most probably - on Tue 31 October 1989, for USA-CANADA and S.America. It is IMPOSSIBLE for the Crescent Moon to be visible on evening of Sun 29 Oct 1989, worldwide. See also postings in Soc.culture.african, ..arabic, ..turkish. (*) Hilal (crescent) sightings would be in the evenings, at least 10 minutes after sunset, usually before 20 minutes, and upto 40 to 90 minutes after sunset; near and along the sun's path. We are conducting research/survey on the recorded WORLD-WIDE first sightings of the "CRESCENT MOON, FIRST VISIBILITY" in the evenings, for every lunar month. Some TECHNICAL INFO. is at the end. PHOTOGRAPHS / SLIDES ARE MOST WELCOME since they are very helpful in the research. Please also pass on the request to your friends who are interested in astronomy/physics and to your local amateur astronomy associations. We would very much like to hear from you. Please respond either by email or by letter. The survey results are to enhance the present ATMOSPHERIC MODEL and fine tune some parameters regarding SCATTERING/VISION. When reporting actual Crescent-Hilal sightings, (even if you do not see it) PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: HILAL was visible to naked eye?......... Hilal sighted in binoculars?......... EXACT TIMES: Complete Sunset at......... Hilal First Visible....... End....... HEIGHT-Degrees: Hilal highest........... Hilal lowest (faded/set)............. ORIENTATION: Ends of Hilal Curve: Start at.......'O Clock:End at.....'O Clock (Right is 3'O Clock:Bottom is 6'O Clock: Left is 9'O Clock: Top is 12'O Clock) WEATHER condition: Rel.Humidity......... Temperature..... Pressure............ Sky near western horizon: Clear?........ Hazy?........... Cloudy?............. OBSERVER: Age.... Eyesight: Glasses?.... Far sighted?.... Near sighted?....... Name....................... Date........ Location............................. Thanks. Email to: mnd@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Dr.Mohib.N.Durrani) Mail: Dr.Mohib.N.Durrani Islamic Amateur Astronomers Association (Research Division) 601 West 113 Street, Suite 11-K Columbia University NEW YORK, N.Y. 10025 United States of America ***************************************************************************** Some ORBITAL details for the SUN and MOON: Lunation No.: 827 NEW MOON (not crescent visible moon): 1989 October 29d 15h 27m UT (Universal Time), Sunday. (Universal Time, i.e. mean solar time on the meridian of Greenwich) EQUATORIAL coords.(0h UT) ECLIPTIC coords.(for 0h UT) Date Sun Sun MOON MOON Sun MOON MOON MOON OCT R.A. Decl. R.A. Decl. Long. Long. Lat. true Elong '89 Alpha Delta Alpha Delta Lambda Lambda Beta from Sun hr deg hr deg deg deg deg deg 29 Su 14.23 -13.39 13.67 -15.27 215.70 208.68 -4.56 W 8 *30 Mo 14.29 -13.74 14.43 -19.63 216.69 220.55 -4.89 E 6 31 Tu 14.36 -14.08 15.25 -23.22 217.69 232.47 -5.00 E 16 ***************************************************************************** 1989 OCTOBER 30 (Mon) evening Event times are approximate 1410 RABI ul AKHIR(4th Islamic Month) Civil - clock - Standard times (nearest) (+N,-S) (W) SUN MOON At-Sunset Unaided-Eye CITY LAT LONG SET SET AGE-MOON SIGHTING ************* deg deg h m h m h m ********** MAKKAH-S.Arab 20 320 17 47 18 06 23 20 DIFFICULT MOSCOW - USSR 56 320 16 44 16 12 22 17 IMPOSSIBLE CAIRO - Egypt 30 330 17 15 17 26 23 48 DIFFICULT ISTANBUL-Turk 40 330 17 00 17 01 23 33 IMPOSSIBLE CAPETOWN-S.Af -35 340 18 08 19 13 25 41 VISIBLE LAGOS-Nigeria 10 355 17 17 17 48 25 50 MOST PROBABLE % GREENWICH-Engl 50 0 16 40 16 26 25 13 IMPOSSIBLE DAKAR-Senegal 10 20 17 57 18 32 27 30 MOST PROBABLE RIO DeJENEIRO -20 45 18 09 19 09 29 42 VISIBLE PARAMARIBO-Suri 0 55 17 27 18 13 30 00 VISIBLE BUNOS ARESarg -35 60 18 28 19 46 31 01 VISIBLE LIMA-Peru S.A -10 80 18 17 19 14 31 50 VISIBLE % (add 1 hr to event time, during summer DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, from early April to end of October) ***************************************************************************** 1989 OCTOBER 30 (Mon) evening Event times are approximate 1410 RABI ul AKHIR(4th Islamic Month) Civil - clock - Standard times (nearest) (+N,-S) (W) SUN MOON At-Sunset Unaided-Eye CITY LAT LONG SET SET AGE-MOON SIGHTING ************* deg deg h m h m h m ********** % HALIFAX -CNDA 44 65 17 14 17 16 29 47 IMPOSSIBLE % NEW YORK -USA 40 75 17 00 17 10 30 33 PROBABLE % JACKSONVIL-Fl 30 80 17 35 17 58 31 08 MOST PROBABLE % SAN DIEGO-USA 35 115 16 48 17 09 33 21 MOST PROBABLE % SAN FRANCISCO 40 120 17 00 17 15 33 33 PROBABLE % VANCOUVER-CND 50 125 17 00 16 55 33 33 IMPOSSIBLE % ANCHORAGE-Als 62 150 16 01 15 01 34 34 IMPOSSIBLE % HONOLULU -Hwi 20 160 17 17 17 49 36 40 MOST PROBABLE % (add 1 hr to event time, for summer DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, from early April to end of October) When the CRESCENT is visible - in the evening - anywhere from Halifax, New York, Jacksonville, San Diego, San Francisco, to Vancouver, then in the USA-CANADA the next Islamic month will start. (INCREASE date one day, if crossing EAST TO WEST) ###################### INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE ###################### (DECREASE date one day, if crossing WEST TO EAST) 1989 OCTOBER 30 (Mon) evening Event times are approximate 1410 RABI ul AKHIR(4th Islamic Month) Civil - clock - Standard times (nearest) (+N,-S) (W) SUN MOON At-Sunset Unaided-Eye CITY LAT LONG SET SET AGE-MOON SIGHTING ************* deg deg h m h m h m ********** SYDNEY-Austra -35 210 18 28 19 11 17 01 PROBABLE TOKYO - Japan 35 220 16 48 16 45 16 21 IMPOSSIBLE PEKING -China 40 245 17 20 17 14 17 53 IMPOSSIBLE JAKARTA-Indon -10 250 17 37 18 08 19 10 PRPBABLE DHAKA -B.Desh 20 270 17 27 17 41 20 00 DIFFICULT AGRA - India 30 280 16 55 17 01 20 28 IMPOSSIBLE PESHAWAR -Pak 35 290 17 28 17 31 21 01 IMPOSSIBLE BUKHARA -USSR 40 295 16 40 16 38 21 13 IMPOSSIBLE TEHRAN - Iran 35 310 16 48 16 53 22 21 IMPOSSIBLE ***************************************************************************** Please note that the Islamic dates start from Sundown of a previous day. ***************************************************************************** ISLAMIC GREGORIAN MOON - MOON - MOON - MOON - MOON Sun - EARTH YEAR YEAR NEW MOON MOON-PERIGEE MOON-APOGEE MONTHS LUNA. (NOT visible) (nearest) (farthest) NO. (All times are in UT = Universal Time) 1410 1989 d h m d h d h d h 1 MUHARAM 824 AUG 1 16 06 JUL 23 07 AUG 7 15 2 SAFR 825 AUG 31 05 44 AUG 19 12 SEP 4 08 SEP 23 01 Equinox 3 RABI-I 826 SEP 29 21 47 SEP 16 15 OCT 1 20 * 4 RABI-II 827 OCT 29 15 27 OCT 15 01 OCT 28 22 5 JUMA-I 828 NOV 28 09 41 NOV 12 13 NOV 25 04 6 JUMA-II 829 DEC 28 03 20 DEC 10 23 DEC 22 19 DEC 21 21 Solstice ***************************************************************************** Perihelion = Earth Closest to Sun (Sun moving FASTEST in sky: Jan 1) Equinox = Earth has Equal Daylight and Darkness (Mar 20 & Sept 22) Solstice = Sun apparantly Stationary in Declination (Maximum of Summer: June 21 OR Min. of Winter: Dec 21) Aphelion = Earth Farthest from Sun (Sun moving SLOWEST in sky: Jul 4) Perigee = Moon Closest to Earth (Moon moving FASTEST in sky) Apogee = Moon Farthest from Earth (Moon moving SLOWEST in sky) **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** APPROXIMATIONS TO DIRECTION OF KA'BA (MAKKAH Saudi Arabia) In most places of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, an APPROXIMATION to the direction of KA'BA, to determine the direction of Salat (prayers), can be obtained by noting the direction of your shadow near the time of Sunset. The direction in which your shadow goes is usually a little north of east DURING WINTER. This is the direction in which salat can be performed, as an approximation. This direction of the shadow changes during the different months of the year but is a good approximation when there is no magnetic compass to determine the exact direction. During summer, the shadow goes south of east and hence we would have to turn further north from the shadow, i.e. further to the left of the shadow. For locations in the West of America the direction is even further North from the shadow, i.e. even further to the left of the shadow. Technical details will be posted shortly, inshallah (God Willing). **************************************************************************** Copyright Dr.M.N.Durrani, 1989 Permission to copy for free distribution is granted to all, please do give credit and reference. Thanks For further information, please feel free to contact: Mail: Dr.Mohib.N.Durrani Islamic Amateur Astronomers Association (Research Division) 601 West 113 Street, Suite 11-K Columbia University NEW YORK, N.Y. 10025 United States of America Email to: mnd@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Mohib.N.Durrani) ***************************** End of Document ****************************** -- Mohib N Durrani Big Electric Cat Public UNIX ..!cmcl2!{ccnysci,cucard,hombre}!dasys1!mohib ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Oct 89 06:49:26 PST From: mordor!lll-tis!oodis01!riacs!rutgers!pnet01.cts.com!jim@angband.s1.gov (Jim Bowery) To: ucsd!nosc!crash!space@angband.s1.gov Subject: The (Inter)National Space Habitat Program Paul S. R. Chisholm writes: >Excuse me? You're not seriously suggesting that we're all going to die >in an exponentially-growing pile of whatever, and that we need to set >up a space habitat because everyone on Earth's going do die, are you? No, I would never advocate putting up a space habitat as the solution our current dilemma. We need a socio-economic change in orientation away from geocentricity toward heliocentricity. There may be many space habitats built for a variety of reasons as a part of such a change, but, believe me, building a space habitat (particularly as part of a "PROGRAM" such as "The National Space Habitat Program") is about the worst thing we could do to address the exponential-growth-death predicted by the Club of Rome. We don't know enough about what we are doing yet. We have no justification to build such a habitat and when we do have such a justification, it will be economic. Being economic, it will be most appropriately done by private concerns for their own gain. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Bowery PHONE: 619/295-8868 BE A SPACE ACTIVIST PO Box 1981 GET OFF THE NET AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR La Jolla, CA 92038 CONGRESSMAN! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- UUCP: {cbosgd, hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, nosc}!crash!pnet01!jim ARPA: crash!pnet01!jim@nosc.mil INET: jim@pnet01.cts.com ------------------------------ Date: 1 Nov 89 17:10:02 GMT From: att!laidbak!elaited!daveb@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Dave Burton) Subject: Re: Moon Colonies / Ant Tanks? In article <14826@bfmny0.UU.NET> tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET (Tom Neff) writes: |Oh by the way, if you have to burrow underground to survive in a |Moon colony, why bother to go? Why not just build underground |colonies here? Sure is easier to ship stuff here. If you have |to spend your whole life in the basement, how much does it matter |which basement? That is a rather silly argument for staying home. Similar rationale could be used to justify never leaving the country, state/province, city, or neighborhood! I mean, I live here, why would I want to go anywhere else? -- Dave Burton uunet!ism780c!laidbak!daveb ------------------------------ Date: 31 Oct 89 08:04:36 GMT From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!psueea!parsely!bucket!leonard@uunet.uu.net (Leonard Erickson) Subject: Re: PowerSat Options dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz) writes: >In article <1729@bucket.UUCP> leonard@bucket.UUCP (Leonard Erickson) writes: >>>A powersat's aperture would be small, so it could not form an intense >>>beam at the earth's surface. The power density would be far lower >>>than in BMD applications. This weapons application stuff is a canard. >> >>I'd expect the beam to be more like 15 *giga*watts! And one thing you'd >>have to worry about if powersats were "common" is what happens if your >>friendly neighborhood military types get the beam redirected to power a >>space based weapon of some sort? >Sigh, yet another canard. This person has beam-o-phobia. Excuse me? I make *one* posting that might be considered "anti-beam" and I have beam-o-phobia? >The power density of a powersat beam is low. A space-based weapon with >a rectenna several miles across would be absurdly vulnerable. My comment re the 15 Gigawatts was because I was amazed that anyone would think a 15 *megawatt* satellite would be of any use. Density beamed to Earth is low. Would it be possible to refocus the beam to something tighter at "short" ranges? I agree that a several mile dai. atenna is a wee bit vulnerable. I have heard the idea and I mentioned it hoping that someone would have something a bit stronger than opinion regarding its feasability (or lack thereof). Come on, Paul, I know you normally exercise more care in your replies... -- Leonard Erickson ...!tektronix!reed!percival!bucket!leonard CIS: [70465,203] "I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters." -- Solomon Short ------------------------------ Date: 1 Nov 89 18:45:32 GMT From: thorin!alanine!leech@mcnc.org (Jonathan Leech) Subject: Re: Rock sizes in space In article <1989Nov1.020353.28369@helios.physics.utoronto.ca> neufeld@helios.physics.utoronto.ca (Christopher Neufeld) writes: > I read something recently in a science fiction book, and would like to >know where the science ends and the fiction begins. The book made mention >of a rule which stated that for each object in the solar system of a given >diameter, you could expect to find ten objects with a diameter one third as >great. Is there any real evidence of a rule to this effect? The distribution of crater diameters (more smaller craters) on old surfaces which don't undergo significant erosion (e.g. the Moon) gives indirect evidence. I can provide references if desired. -- Jon Leech (leech@cs.unc.edu) __@/ ``You looked so innocent and vulnerable, I wanted to use everything I knew about radar astronomy to protect you.'' - Dr. Steve Mills in _My Stepmother is an Alien_ ------------------------------ End of SPACE Digest V10 #198 *******************