2005/04/06

Dear All,

 

  Please look for the New Moon at the end of Shabbat. The upcoming New Moon is very marginal and therefore very important to look for from Israel, on Saturday 9th April 2005. It will be very difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye. (Maale Adumim observers cannot see this Moon because the mountains are in the way. The New Moon will not be visible to the naked eye from India, South Africa or Australia until the next day – Sunday 10th April 2005). If the Moon is not visible then please look again on Sunday 10th April.

 

  On Friday 8th April, there is a partial solar eclipse over the southern USA. It will be at its maximum at around 15:00 local time in Arizona. Full details are available from http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/HSE2005/PSE2005.html.

 

  If you did not do so already, please download LunaCal 3.0 Beta 3 from our website (www.geocities.com/royh_il). Israeli daylight saving time has been correctly implemented throughout history. There was a slight mistake in the rules that were stated in the last message. The correct rules are at 02:00 on the last Friday BEFORE 2nd April the clocks are put forward to 03:00 and at 02:00 on the last Sunday before Yom Kippur (10th Tishri) the clocks are put back to 01:00. If by any miracle this regime survives till 2089 then a change may be necessary as the clock change falls on 7th day Pesach when it is not permitted to adjust clocks.

 

  I have two papers in press at present: "Rational design of Lunar Visibility Criteria" Observatory, 125 (June 2005) and (in Hebrew) "Have we improved on Maimonides' Lunar Visibility Criterion" Yodei Binah, 3 (2005). Please ask if you want preprints.

  

Yours,

Roy.

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