It turns out that in fact, there’s no evidence to support the premise in the first place. A Harvest full Moon rises over Haro Straight, off Vancouver Island, British Columbia. If there’s really magic in the moonlight, it’s the magic of a beautiful sight. No tides, no tidal stress.īut if the Moon’s effects aren’t due to light, gravity or tides, what’s going on? Perhaps the Moon’s power is magical or supernatural? But if that’s the case, it’s beyond the ability of science to investigate. Some advocates of the full-Moon effect assert that because humans are largely composed of water, there are “lunar tides” rushing back and forward through our bodies causing “disturbances.” But, of course, the distance from the Moon to our heads, and from the Moon to our feet is, for all intents and purposes, the same. Those stresses are mostly relieved by water in the oceans, which results in the tides we see worldwide. Although the Moon is much less massive than the Sun, it’s 400 times closer, so its gravitational pull is strong enough to create stresses throughout our planet. Tidal forces build up when one large body is close enough to another that the gravitational pull is stronger on one side of the body than on the other. The Moon’s orbit around Earth isn’t circular, which means its distance varies. In any case, the gravitational attraction between the Earth and Moon, rises and falls with the perigee/apogee cycle (the anomalistic month: 27.554 days), not the cycle of the phases (the synodic month: 29.530 days). If it were the other way around we’d likely orbit the Moon, not the Sun. That’s why the Sun exerts a much more powerful gravitational attraction than the Moon. ![]() Problem solved!īut what about that mysterious, unseen force called gravity? As Isaac Newton first explained, the gravitational attraction between any two bodies is determined by their combined mass and their distance from each other. Simply stay indoors and draw the curtains. But if that reflected sunlight is the source of the problem, it seems to me there’s an easy solution. The Moon does not emit light - it reflects light from the Sun. Let’s take a look at how they might play a role in human affairs. If, as the many dedicated health and emergency providers (and astrologers) suggest, the Moon is a direct influence on our lives, for good or otherwise, what’s the mechanism? There are three possibilities: moonlight, gravity and tidal forces. ![]() An ominous full Moon rises red through low haze and clouds.
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