NEW MOON REPORT
Nehemia
Gordon from Jerusalem, Israel compiled the following New Moon Report for the 4th
Hebrew month of the year.
The
last crescent of the Old Moon was sighted in the early morning hours on Wednesday
June 20, 2001.
On
Friday June 22, 2001 the New Moon was first sighted at 19:50 by Magdi Shamuel
from Ashdod before sunset (sunset was observed at 19:51); 19:54 from Petach
Tikvah; 20:00 by Adam Cowan from Beth Shemesh; 20:01 by Nehemia Gordon from
Jerusalem; 20:05 from Ramlah and from Ofra; 20:06 from Ofakim; 20:09 by Bruce
Brill from Tekoa; 20:11 from Arad.
This
was a special case in which the angle of the ecliptic relative to the horizon
was identical for old and new moon sightings.
As a result, both the last sighting of the old moon and first sighting
of the new moon occurred while the sun was above the horizon (old moon after
sunrise and new moon before sunset).
COMET LINEAR (2001A2) PUTS ON A FAIRLY GOOD SHOW
Comet LINEAR (2001A2) reached a peak brightness of 3.2 magnitude in mid-June, becoming an easy naked eye object for those in the Southern Hemisphere. The comet became visible to those in the Northern Hemisphere in late June. Comet LINEAR began to fade after it reached its peak brightness in mid-June, and on July 2, its brightness decreased to a magnitude 4.4, even though it was near its closest approach to earth, which occurred on July 1.
The
following is a news release by Sky & Telescope on June 29.
Comet LINEAR Now Visible World Wide – “After hiding out in the
far-southern sky while at its brightest, Comet LINEAR (2001 A2) is now visible
before dawn to skywatchers everywhere.
According to many observers reporting to Charles Morris’s Comet Observation
Home Page, LINEAR has been as bright as about magnitude 4.2 in the last few
days – and dimly visible to the naked eye as a tailless fuzz ball.
On
Saturday Morning, June 30th, Northern Hemisphere observers will find
the comet moderately well up in the southeastern sky before the first light of
dawn, in the constellation Cetus…
In
the next 10 days the comet climbs much higher in the early morning sky,
crossing Pisces and entering Pegasus.
By July 11th it is well up in the east as early as midnight
or 1 a.m. local daylight savings time and very high before dawn – though by
this time it may have faded to roughly magnitude 5.0. It remains in Pegasus for most of the rest of July as it fades
into the distance, possibly losing 1 magnitude every 10 days.”
Charts
213 and 214 show the path of Comet LINEAR (2001A2) from July 1, to
August 17, 2001 as it passes through the constellations Pisces (the nation of
Israel) and Pegasus (The Winged Horse - The blessings quickly coming). The following is E.W. Bullinger’s The
Witness of the Stars, p. 89 concerning the constellation Pegasus.
“In
the Denderah Zodiac there are two characters immediately below the horse, Pe
and ka. Peka or Pega, is in Hebrew the chief, and Sus is horse. So that the very word (Pegasus) has come down to us and has been preserved through all the languages.”
This is also representative of the horse (chief horse)
that the Messiah is riding in Rev. 19:11.
The brightest star in the constellation is Markab,
which in Hebrew means returning from afar.
Comet LINEAR (2001
A2) will be in conjunction with the star Markab on July 9/10.
PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
There will be a partial lunar
eclipse on July 5. This will not be
visible from Jerusalem, and for the most part, the continental U.S. The eclipse will be best observed from
eastern Asia and Japan. During the peak
of the eclipse, the moon will be approximately 40 percent covered by the umbral
shadow of the earth.
Chart 215 shows the position
of the moon in the constellation Sagittarius (The Redeemer’s triumph)
during the peak of the eclipse, and Chart 216 shows the portion of the
moon that will be covered with the umbral shadow of the earth (the darker
portion seen here).
JUPITER/MERCURY CONJUNCTION
Jupiter (the Lord our Righteousness) and Mercury (Gabriel) will come
into conjunction on July 13 in the club of the constellation Orion. Charts 217 and 218 show the
positions of the two planets as they come into conjunction as seen from
Jerusalem in the early morning hours before sunrise. This is very close to the very same coordinate that the sun and
the moon came into conjunction on June 21, 2001 during the total solar eclipse
(see Chart 211 from the May/June 2001 issue of Biblical Astronomy and also the last paragraph in the article Mars at Closest Approach to Earth Since
1988, same article).
VENUS/SATURN CONJUNCTION
Venus (the Bright and Morning Star)
and Saturn (Satan) will come into conjunction in the
constellation Taurus (Messiah, the
coming Judge of all the earth) on
July 15. The two planets will also be
near conjunction to the star Al Debaran (the leader or governor) in Taurus.
Charts 219 and 220
show the positions of the two planets as seen in the early morning sky before
sunrise from Jerusalem. At their
closest approach to each other, as seen from earth, they will be 7/10ths of one
degree apart. Venus will be shinning at
a magnitude of –4.08, far outshining Saturn, which will at a magnitude of 0.15
at the time of the conjunction.
“From far I see the glorious day’
When He who bore our sins away,
Will all His majesty
display.
A man of Sorrows once He was,
No friend was found to please His cause,
As all preferred the world’s applause.
He groaned beneath sin’s awful load
For in the sinner’s place He stood,
And died to bring him back to God.
But now He waits, with glory crowned,
While angel hosts, His throne surround,
And still His lofty praises sound.
To few on earth His name is dear,
And they who in His cause appear,
The world’s reproach and scorn must bear.
Jesus, Thy name is all my boast,
And though by waves of trouble tossed,
Thou wilt not let my soul be lost.
Come then, come quickly from above,
My soul impatient longs to prove,
The depths of everlasting love.”
May the
grace, mercy and love of Yashuah HaMashiach be with you.