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I invented my own phrase for a sky gazing experience; "Perfect Full Moon" It is something that I think most people could observe perhaps 1 or 2 times in a lifetime. I define it as follows.
Each lunar month, the time of full moon is an instant. At that instant, there will be one place seeing moon rise at the same time as sunset, and another place (180 degrees away) seeing moon set at the same time as sunrise. Actually it is not two points but a great circle. The great circle is close to loci of longitude but not exactly.
The two points are places where the great circle falls close (+1 one nautical minute) to a city with a recognizable name. Often, the perfect full moon great circles do not intersect any populated place.
Lots of things can prevent you from seeing it. Clouds, no view of horizon, etc, but the biggest factor is not knowing when and where to expect it. I would like to make up a table of places and dates to expect perfect full moons.
My question: What astronomical tables, or web sites might help me calculate that table? I think that I need a table of time/date/lat/lon of where the moon it at zenith at the instant of full moon. Then using that point, I need to plot an equatorial great circle where that point is the pole.
I tried it a year ago using Stellarium software on my PC plus Google Earth and a spreadsheet. It was very tedious and error prone.
I should also ask; has anyone beaten me to is and already calculated the perfect full moon table?
Each lunar month, the time of full moon is an instant. At that instant, there will be one place seeing moon rise at the same time as sunset, and another place (180 degrees away) seeing moon set at the same time as sunrise. Actually it is not two points but a great circle. The great circle is close to loci of longitude but not exactly.
The two points are places where the great circle falls close (+1 one nautical minute) to a city with a recognizable name. Often, the perfect full moon great circles do not intersect any populated place.
Lots of things can prevent you from seeing it. Clouds, no view of horizon, etc, but the biggest factor is not knowing when and where to expect it. I would like to make up a table of places and dates to expect perfect full moons.
My question: What astronomical tables, or web sites might help me calculate that table? I think that I need a table of time/date/lat/lon of where the moon it at zenith at the instant of full moon. Then using that point, I need to plot an equatorial great circle where that point is the pole.
I tried it a year ago using Stellarium software on my PC plus Google Earth and a spreadsheet. It was very tedious and error prone.
I should also ask; has anyone beaten me to is and already calculated the perfect full moon table?