NEW MOON REPORT
Nehemia Gordon from Jerusalem, Israel compiled the
following New Moon Reports for July and August 2004 and the beginnings of the
Fifth month on the Hebrew calendar, the month of Av, and the beginning of the
sixth month on the Hebrew calendar, the month of Elul.
July Report - “On Sunday July 18, 2004, the New Moon was
sighted from Jerusalem by Melekh ben-Ya’aqov, Rivka Michaeli, Nehemia Gordon,
and Devorah Gordaon all at 20:12.”
August Report – “On
August 17, 2994 the New Moon was sighted from Jerusalem by numerous observers
at 19:34.”
The next New Moon beginning the first day (Day of Trumpets or Yom Teruah) of the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar, the month of Ethanum (also known as Tishri) is expected to be visible from Jerusalem near sunset on September 16.
SPARKS FLY FROM
SWORD OF PERSEUS
It is that time of the year again for the Perseids
Meteor Shower. The Perseids Meteor
Shower is the most popular meteor shower for the general populous since it
occurs in the warm month of August and usually puts on a good show. The shower generally starts around August 6
and runs through about August 18. The
peak of the shower is usually on August 12.
The constellation Perseus or Peretz (the
breaker) in Hebrew, represents Messiah coming to deliver the
captive bride (Andromeda), the
houses of Judah and Ephraim (Israel).
Meteor showers are named from the constellation
where their radiant lies. The radiant of
this particular meteor shower, which is marked by an X in the below diagram, is
between the sword of Perseus and the
constellation Cassiopeia.
This ties in with Micah 2:12, 13 – I will surely assemble, O
Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them
together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they
shall make great
noise by reason of the multitude of
men. THE
BREAKER (parats) is come up before them: they have broken
up, and have
passed through the gate and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass
before them and the LORD on the head of them. (KJV).
Again, Peretz portrays Messiah rescuing His bride (Andromeda or Sirra in
the Heb. which means the chained) from
the beast from the sea (Cetus). And the sparks will fly.
VENUS AND SATURN IN CONJUNCTION
The planets Nogah (Venus – the bright and morning star)
and Saturn (Satan), will come into
conjunction in the sign and constellation Gemini
on August 31/September 1, 2004. The date
of conjunction
depends on which time zone you are in. Chart
370 shows
the positions of the two planets in Gemini
as seen from Jerusalem above the East-Northeast Horizon at the time of
conjunction at 3:30 a.m. Jerusalem Daylight Savings Time on September 1,
2004. The two planets will be close to
each other and be visible in the early morning sky from most areas on planet
Earth.
Chart 370 – Venus/Saturn conjunction as
seen from Jerusalem at 3:30 am on September 1, 2004
Nogah
will be at its brightest magnitude at
–4.31 during its current apparition on August 16, when it will reach its
greatest elongation from the sun. When
it comes into conjunction with Saturn on
August 31 or September 1, Nogah
will still be very bright at a magnitude –4.22 and will far outshine Saturn, which will be at magnitude 0.22. Nogah will
be over forty times brighter than Saturn at
that time.
The main theme of the
sign and constellation Thaumim (Gemini) is
Messiah’s Reign as Prince of Peace.
POSSIBLE NAKED EYE COMET
Comet LINEAR 2003 K4 is
now approaching naked eye brightness.
Its current magnitude is around 6.1 and it may brighten to a magnitude 5
(visible to naked eye, but appearing very dim) by early October and stay around
that magnitude until early November. The
comet should be at its brightest magnitude during the Feast of Tabernacles in
early October.
Chart 371
shows the path of the comet from August 1, 2004 to November 11, 2004. The comet is now in the constellation Coma (the desired of all nations –
the born Messiah). It will pass through
the midst and across the womb of Virgo (Bethulah) – The Promised
Seed of the woman in mid September at the time of Yom Teruah,
the Day of Trumpets (birth date of Messiah).
Chart 371 – Path of Comet LINEAR 2003 K4
from August 1 to November 11, 2004
After passing through Bethulah, Comet LINEAR 2003 K4 will pass through the
constellation Corvus
(The Raven), which represents birds of prey devouring the
serpent (Rev. 19:17-21).
On November 11, the comet passes down through the beak of the raven and
to the point where the beak meets the back of the serpent. This is a unique sign for Veteran’s Day with
the raven tearing the enemy to pieces.
Below is a photo of Comet
LINEAR 2003 K4 taken on August 15, 2004 by Mike Halloway from Van Buren, AR.
Comet LINEAR 2003 K4
There will be more on this
comet in the upcoming September/October 2004 issue of Biblical Astronomy along
with other interesting celestial events occurring in Bethulah at that time.
ETA CARINAE UPDATE
Eta Carinae is a very
unique star that is located in the rear section of the constellation Argo (the Ship). This
star is now putting out the energy of five million suns. Many astronomers believe that it will go
super-nova or even hyper-nova some time in the near future.
If this star goes
hyper-nova, it very well could be bright enough to be seen in the daytime. It
is too far south to be seen from Jerusalem. It is visible from southern Florida
and Hawaii from January to April. An excellent place to observe this star is
from New Zealand. If the star goes hyper-nova, it may be worth the investment
to travel to a good observing spot. The last exceptionally bright supernova,
which was Kepler's Star, occurred in the constellation Ophiuchus in 1604,. It
may be some time before another one occurs.
Eta Carinae is in the
constellation Carina which is a part of the ancient constellation Argo (the
Ship). The constellation Carina makes up the keel of the ship, and Eta Carinae
is in the aft part of the ship. The constellation Argo has references to Noah's
Ark and is representative of a place of safety for God's people during a time
of great trouble. The following is from E.W. Bullinger's, The Witness of the
Stars, pp. 157, 158.
"This is the celebrated
ship of the Argonauts, of which Homer sung nearly ten centuries be fore Christ.
Sir Isaac Newton puts the expedition of the Argonauts shortly after the death
of Solomon (about 975 B.C. Whatever fables have gathered round the story there
can be no doubt as to its great antiquity. Some think that the story had its
origin in name, as well as in fact, from the Ark of Noah and its mysterious
journey. All that is clear, when divested of mythic details, is that the
sailors in that ship, after all their dangers, and toils, and battles were
over, came back victorious to their own shores. The "golden fleece,"
for which the Argonauts went in search, tells of a treasure that had been lost.
"Jason," the great captain, tells of Him who recovered it from the
Serpent, which guarded it with ever-watchful eye, when none else was able to
approach it. And thus, through the fables and myths of the Greeks, we can see
the light primeval shine; and this light, once seen, lights up this Sign and
its constellations, so that their teaching cannot be misunderstood."
The name "Jason"
is the Graeco-Judean equivalent of Joshua or Jesus. The word "Argo"
means company of travelers. If you have E.W. Bullinger's The Witness of the
Stars, I encourage you to read pages 157-161 for further insight.
