You know the photos of the howling wolf, raising its head in front of a full moon. On Sunday, February 5th at 7:28 p.m. it will happen again. The next full moon is coming up. Will the wolves howl again then?
The gravitational pull of the moon
During a full moon, the sun and moon are in opposite directions as seen from Earth. The side of the moon facing the Earth is completely illuminated by the sun (except during a lunar eclipse).
Schematic representation of the full moon
Sun, Earth and Moon are in a line, but the Earth’s shadow does not fall on the Moon.
Schematic representation of the full moon. Sun, Earth and Moon are senegal phone number library in a line, but the Earth’s shadow does not fall on the Moon.
The moon has a great attraction in the truest sense of the word, both in terms of its fascination for humans and in terms of its physical attraction for our Earth. The Earth’s satellite, which was probably formed 4.5 billion years ago as a result of a collision between a large asteroid and the Earth, is primarily responsible for the tides, for example, thanks to its attraction.
If there were no moon…
… the earth would probably look different than we know it. We humans probably wouldn’t even exist. There would be no reliable seasons because the moon stabilizes the earth’s rotation axis. Without the moon, the earth would always be in a whirlpool. It would also rotate faster because the moon slows down the earth’s rotation over time.
Rise of the full moon behind the Säntis on April 7, 2020
Full moon rising behind the Säntis on April 7, 2020 (Photos: D. Gerstgrasser)
The moon does not only exert its attraction on water, but also on land masses. However, we do not see or feel this, as it happens very evenly, even though the attraction can be about 20 to 50 cm.
Does the moon influence the weather?
The moon exerts its gravitational pull on mass. The atmosphere or air also has mass. However, compared to water, air is about 800 times less dense. The tidal forces in the atmosphere are therefore tiny. perttu ojansuu of happeo Therefore, fluctuations in air pressure due to the moon’s gravitational pull are not measurable.
Full moon over the Albis chain
Full moon over the Albis Range (Photo: U. Graf)
The weather is therefore not changed by the moon, even though this is what people like to say. The moon’s influence on the weather is irrelevant, whether there is a full moon or not. If it were true that the weather changes during a full moon, then the weather would have to change everywhere on earth at the same time, which is not the case. germany cell number Because a full moon or the phases of the moon in general always occur simultaneously for the whole earth. If the weather changes during a full moon, then this simultaneity is nothing more than a coincidence.
The popular belief that full moon nights are particularly cold is also incorrect or only partially true. If the full moon is visible, this means that there are no or only a few clouds. If this is the case, it cools down more at night than when it is cloudy.