Biblical Astronomy

 

November 2003

 

Editor – Robert Scott Wadsworth <> P.O. Box 2272, Oregon City, OR 97045

Phone (503) 655-7430 <> e-mail – starguy1@comcast.net <> Website – www.atlbible.org/astronomy.htm

 

 


NEW MOON REPORT

 

Nehemia Gordon from Jerusalem, Israel compiled the following New Moon Report for October 2003 and the beginning of the 8th month on the Hebrew calendar.

           

“On Sunday October 26, 2003 the new moon was sighted by five observers from Mt. Shifon in the Golan Heights in northern Israel.  The moon was sighted by Sue Rose intermittently from 17:11 to 17:16, and subsequently by Darren Hooley for about 1 minute; by Diane Szostak for about 35 seconds; by Brendan Ricci for about 2 minutes; by Craig Keitz for about 2 minutes.

           

The moon was sighted in a break in the clouds, below and to the right of Venus.”

 

Roy Hoffman of the New Moon Society gave a similar report with the sightings of the above mentioned names but adds: “The Moon was not seen by about 25 other people who were trying to observe at that location including Mathew Delolello, Nehemia Gordon, Michael Rood and Roberto Umano. The Moon could not be seen due to clouds from Netanya, Ashdod, Jerusalem, Maale Adumim and Neve Daniel.”

 

If we are to go by the criteria that the new moon must be sighted in or in the very near vicinity of Jerusalem to begin the first day of the month and there is overcast where the moon cannot be seen and that day is the 29th day of the month, then that evening automatically by default becomes the beginning of the 30th day and the following evening starts the first day of the next month.

           

Going by that criteria, the first day of the eighth month of the Hebrew calendar for the common solar year 2003 began at sunset on October 27.

           

Oops – In the first paragraph, line 3 of the September/October 2003 issue of Biblical Astronomy it is stated that it is the New Moon Report is for the 12th month of the Hebrew calendar.  That should read the 6th month.  I must have somehow had the Hebrew civil year in mind when I wrote that.

           

To those who are relatively new subscribers to Biblical Astronomy, the reason I always start with the new moon report is so there will be a record on which dates of the Hebrew calendar certain celestial events occur.  Though I give the Gregorian dates of the events, the Hebrew dates can be calculated from the New Moon Report.  This becomes especially important during the months of the feasts when certain prophecies from the Scriptures will most likely be fulfilled.

 

 

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

 

On November 8/9, 2003 there will be a Total Lunar Eclipse that will be visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and western and southern Asia.  There is a fairly high probability that the moon will appear blood red from certain areas of the planet during the eclipse; one such area being Jerusalem, Israel. 

 

The eclipse will be at its peak on November 9th around 3:10 a.m. Jerusalem Local Time and will be visible (barring overcast) high above the western horizon.  The astronomical conditions for the moon be appear blood red in color for observers in Israel are good but somewhat borderline.   I have e-mailed some contacts in Jerusalem and it is hopeful that at least one of them will stay up to the wee hours after the end of Shabbat to observe the eclipse and send me a report on what is observed.  If it is a blood red eclipse, then it will be the first one seen from Jerusalem since the blood red eclipse that occurred on Passover 1996.

 

Below is a diagram from Sky & Telescope showing the moon passing through the southern part of the earth’s umbra (dark shadow) on November 8/9, 2003.

 

 

This eclipse will be visible throughout the continental United States at various stages.  It will most likely not appear blood red from any area in the United States.

 

Below is a chart that shows the various stages of the eclipse and the times they will be visible from different time zones throughout the continental United States and the Universal Time Zone centered in Greenwich, England.

 

Total Eclipse of the Moon, November 8–9, 2003

Eclipse stage

UT

EST

CST

MST

PST

Moon enters penumbra

22:15

  5:15 p.m.

--

--

--

First visible shading?

22:55

  5:55 p.m.

  4:55 p.m.

--

--

Partial eclipse begins

23:32

  6:32 p.m.

  5:32 p.m.

--

--

Total eclipse begins

1:06

  8:06 p.m.

  7:06 p.m.

  6:06 p.m.

--

Total eclipse ends

1:31

  8:31 p.m.

  7:31 p.m.

  6:31 p.m.

  5:31 p.m.

Partial eclipse ends

3:04

10:04 p.m.

  9:04 p.m.

  8:04 p.m.

  7:04 p.m.

Last visible shading?

3:45

10:45 p.m.

  9:45 p.m.

  8:45 p.m.

  7:45 p.m.

Moon leaves penumbra

4:22

11:22 p.m.

10:22 p.m.

  9:22 p.m.

  8:22 p.m.

 

Charts 334 and 335 below show the position of the moon in the sign and constellation Aries (Heb. Taleh, The Lamb) during the peak of the eclipse as seen from Jerusalem at 3:10 am local standard time on November 9.  The moon is in the hollow of the thigh of the lamb. 

 

                Chart 334 – Total Lunar Eclipse as seen looking west from Jerusalem at 3:10 a.m. JST on Nov 9

 

 

               Chart 335 – Zoomed in and Ecliptic Mode view of Total Lunar Eclipse on November 9, 2003

 

If this is a blood red moon, then it will be a great sign indeed, and will continue in the current portrayal and theme of the blood of atonement that began with the close approach of Mars on Elul 1, 2003, which also began the 40 day season of repentance to the Day of Atonement which took place on October 6/7 (see the August 2003 issue of Biblical Astronomy).  The major theme of the sign Aries is the Lamb who was slain but resurrected and now returning to defeat his enemies and deliver his people.  The following is from E.W. Bullinger’s book The Witness of the Stars, p. 105, concerning the sign Aries.

 

“We come now to the last chapter of the book: and, as we have seen, like each of the other books, it ends up with victory and triumph.  Here we are first shown the foundation on which that victory rests, namely, Atonement.  Hence we are taken back and reminded of the ‘blood of the Lamb.’

 

This is pictured by a ram, or lamb, full of vigour and life; not falling in death as Capricornus is.”

 

This is the Lamb found worthy to open the seven seals in Revelation 5 because of his atoning blood he shed, and the Lamb who defeats the beast from the sea and his armies in Revelation 19 after the opening of the seven seals is fulfilled.

           

Revelation 5 (KJV) – And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look therein.

4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and read the book, neither to look thereon.

5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

           10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten                              thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

           14 And the four beasts said, Amen.  And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

 

 

LEONIDS METEOR SHOWER

 

It is that time of the year again for the Leonids Meteor Shower which peaks every year around November 18.  The peak of the shower this year will in the early morning hours of November 18  

 

The radiant (where the meteors appear to come from) of the shower is in the head of Leo (Arieh, the Lion), the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  My favorite name for this particular shower is “the roar of the Lion.”  However, the roar this year is not expected to be very spectacular.  At its peak, the shower is expected to produce only about 10 meteors per hour as compared to hundreds per hour that it produced in meteor storms in 1999, 2000, and 2001.   It may be over 100 years before we can expect to see such a storm from the Leonids again.

 

If it is not overcast in your area, the sky is favorable for viewing the meteors this year since there will be very little to no moonlight obscuring or blocking out the fainter meteors.  It may not be worth going out into the cold this year for a few hours to observe a handful of meteors, except for the die-hard meteor watchers.  

 

 

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

 

 

Speaking of going out into the cold to observe celestial events, there will be a total solar eclipse on November 23 that will only be visible in its totality from Antarctica, near the South Pole.  I haven’t seen any adds for tours to the South Pole to observe this eclipse as of yet.  I suppose that such an expedition would put a new meaning to the song “Your So Vain.”

 

Anyway, the eclipse will appear as a partial eclipse in Australia, southern New Zealand and the southern tip of South America. 

 

Charts 336 and 337 below show the position of the sun and moon as seen from Antarctica during the peak of the eclipse in front of and near the head of the scorpion in the sign and constellation Scorpius (Akrab, the conflict or war).

 

            Chart 336 – Position of Sun and Moon in Scorpius during Total Solar Eclipse on Nov. 23, 2003

 

 

               Chart 337 – Zoomed in Ecliptic View of Positions of the Sun and Moon during the eclipse

 

 

 

The major theme for this sign is the conflict or war between the woman and the woman’s seed and the serpent and the serpent’s seed as first written of in Genesis 3:15.  This war ends with the crushing of the head of the adversary or the serpent (also known as the dragon, the Devil and Satan) and the serpent’s seed.

 

We again see mention of the woman, the woman’s seed, and the serpent in Revelation 12, as well as the serpent’s seed (the beast and the false prophet) in Revelation 13.  This is the beginning of the final battle that occurs before the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom and ends in Revelation 19 and 20 with the beast and his armies and the false prophet thrown into the lake of fire, and the serpent being bound for 1,000 years (Rev. 19:20 – 20:2)

 

Then there is the absolute final battle that ends with the total destruction of the serpent and the serpent’s seed that occurs about one thousand years later (Rev. 20:10).

AN ANGRY SUN

 

Over the past week (late October) solar activity has been kicking up large solar storms headed toward and striking the earth.  The most powerful solar storm in decades struck the earth on Wednesday, October 29.  The sun was in the constellation Virgo (Bethulah, a virgin or maiden) which represents the woman of Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 12 when it angrily released its fury toward the earth.  There are more solar storms expected in the very near future.

 

The following are excerpts from an article from Space.com written by their Senior Science Writer Robert Roy Britt and released on October 30.

Earth Pounded: Second Major Space Storm in Two Days Hits – The second of two monster space storms began racking Earth's magnetic field around 10 a.m. EST Thursday. Forecasters said the onslaught would continue for at least 24 hours, with the potential to damage more satellites and hamper communication systems on the ground.

 

"Here we go again," said Joe Kunches, lead forecaster at NOAA's Space Environment Center (SEC).

 

Meanwhile, the most powerful solar storm in decades, which first struck Wednesday, continued to buffet Earth Thursday morning and forecasters had said its effects might linger into the afternoon. The back-to-back pairing of two historically huge flares is unprecedented, one physicist says.

 

The two storms may have joined forces as the second one caught up with the first. Scientists don't yet know how this might play out.

 

Worn out - Kunches said Earth's protective magnetic field might be worn down by the first upheaval and could be more vulnerable to this second attack, even though the storm itself appears to be less powerful.

 

Either way, Round 2 is a mean magnetic machine, a potentially damaging cloud of charged particles that is among the 20 worst in recorded history.

 

Like the first, the second storm moved from the Sun to Earth in about 19 hours -- amazingly swift compared to the typical interval of two days. Kunches said the second one may have moved quickly in part because interplanetary space was cleared out by the first salvo, creating less drag. The science behind that possible scenario is not well understood, he said.

 

The effects of the second storm remain to be seen, but it has all the markings of another serious event as it interacts with our planet's outer natural defense system, a vast magnetic field that's created deep inside the planet by its rotating core of iron.

 

Experts stressed that people on the ground are not in danger from the storms and that airline travel is generally safe, though elevated doses of radiation can be experienced on high-altitude flights.

 

History made - The first storm will go down in history as one of the worst of the modern telecommunications era.

 

It disabled a Japanese satellite, Kodama, caused air traffic controllers to alter some trans-Atlantic flight plans as radio communications were disrupted, and forced managers of terrestrial power grids curb use and restrict switching between systems.

 

Satellite operators shut some of their space birds down and put others partly to sleep. They rotated some so vulnerable solar panels were better protected, and made arrangements to switch signals to backup satellites if necessary.

 

The effects were less than might have been the case, experts said, because of the improved ability to forecast the arrival time and intensity of space weather.”

 

CELESTIAL SIGNS OF THE END TIMES

 

Biblical Astronomer Robert Scott Wadsworth will be speaking on Celestial Signs of the End Times to the Church of All Nations at 11375 Center Street, Beaverton, Oregon on Sunday morning November 9, at 10:30 a.m.  For travel directions and more information call 503-590-8327.

For those of you who can make it, I am looking forward to seeing you and spending time with you.

           

These are wondrous times to be living in.  Praise Yahuweh Elohim for His awesome creation and sharing His good pleasure with those who love Him and His son Yahoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ); and for both coming into our hearts and continuing to sup with us and for the deliverance whereby He delivered us by the precious blood of His dear Son.

 

With that in mind, Happy Thanksgiving