Posted on 02/23/2003 4:15:26 PM PST by Burr5
Sorry if this has already been posted, but Fox just reported that 3,000 soldiers are on the ground (they showed the footage, BTW) alongside our forces.
Thank God for another friend, huh? For political reasons if not military ones I LOVE to see this.
Other members are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.
This article from a few weeks ago addresses the Gulf Cooperation Council's plans for the war with Hussein.
February 2003 | |||||||
Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Baghdad SunSet SunRise |
|
24 9% +8.4hrs |
25 7% +9.2hrs |
26 5% +10.2hrs |
27 3% +11.2hrs |
28 2% Blackout |
01 1% Blackout |
5:59pm 6:30am |
March 2003 | |||||||
02 0% Blackout |
03 0% Blackout |
04 1% -11.2hrs |
05 2% -10.2hrs |
06 3% -9.3hrs |
07 5% -8.4hrs |
08 7% -7.4hrs |
6:04pm 6:22am |
09 9% -6.4hrs |
10 11% -5.4hrs |
11 13% -4.5hrs |
12 15% -3.5hrs |
13 20% -2.6hrs |
14 26% -1.8hrs |
15 34% -1.0hrs |
6:10pm 6:12am |
16 44% n/a |
17 55% n/a |
18100% n/a |
|
|
|
|
6:15pm 6:03am |
Legend: (%)Luminance compared to a Full Moon (Starlight alone is 1/2 of 1% of a Full Moon) Nighttime TOTAL BLACKOUT period ( + ) hours AFTER sunset when Moon is behind the Earth, OR ( - ) hours BEFORE sunRISE when Moon behind the Earth (Times not adjusted for 25 minutes of civil twilight after sunset or before dawn) (Luminance figures are approximate based on an average lunar cycle. Figures are even less when the moon is lower in the sky ... and crescent moons don't get very high in the sky until after daybreak) . |
In just a few days we will have a prime nighttime 'opportunity' - SEVEN nights in a row with NO MOON or virtually no moon all night long.
The lunar calendar to the right should help explain this. The NEW MOON occurs on the date shown as March 2nd, because that date represents the EVENING of the 2nd AND MORNING OF THE 3RD.
There will be clearly FOUR nights of total blackout, by anyone's count. That is because the moon will be behind the Earth ALL NIGHT LONG on FOUR Baghdad nights. [The moon rises and sets in 10.5 hours, but the winter nights are still 12.5 hours long] The four dates are shown as Feb 28, Mar 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
One night before those, on the evening/morning of Feb 27/28, the moon will be just a tiny sliver, and will appear for only the first hour before sunrise. If we could measure the intensity of that moon under ideal circumstances (like from South America at mid-day), it would appear 3% as bright as a Full Moon.
But in Baghdad, in the hour before sunrise, it will only barely be noticeable on the horizon, and will be less than ONE PERCENT of the brightness of a Full Moon. That, plus it will be washed out by dawn's early light.
So that nighttime will have 'virtually' NO Moon ALL night long.
The same is true for the two evenings/mornings: March 4th/5th, and 5th/6th, except in reverse. The tiny crescents on those nights will be barely noticable, mixed in with the dusk of sunset. Those tiny crescents will be followed by undisturbed pitch blackness ALL NIGHT long.
(Besides, who wants to go bombing in the first hour or so after sunset... Most Iraqi's are still awake, and it's still too light out from the sun.)
|
||
Last Updated Monday, February 24, at 5:45 AM Local Time (Sunday 9:45 PM EST) | ||
Today: Sun along with patchy clouds. High 74F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. | ||
Tonight: Some clouds. Low 53F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. | ||
Tomorrow: Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 62F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. | ||
Tomorrow night: A few clouds. Low 43F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. | ||
Wednesday: Chance of showers. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the mid 30s. | ||
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the low 30s. | ||
Friday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 30s. | ||
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 30s. | ||
Sunday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 30s. | ||
Monday: Partial sunshine. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 40s. | ||
Tuesday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 40s. | ||
Wednesday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the mid 40s. | ||
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. | ||
Travel Tip for Saddam: Pack plenty of clean underwear. |
Wednesday[March 5th]: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the mid 40s.
UAE Sends Troops to Defend KuwaitUnited Arab Emirates Deploys Troops to Defend Kuwait Ahead of Possible War in Iraq
The Associated Press
KUWAIT CITY Feb. 23 ?
Hundreds of infantrymen from the United Arab Emirates arrived in Kuwait on Sunday with tanks and armored personnel carriers, part of a security force deployed by Kuwait's neighbors ahead of a possible U.S. attack on Iraq.
Kuwaiti and UAE military officials here said the troops are part of Peninsula Shield, a military operation ordered by the Gulf Cooperation Council to protect Kuwait from a possible Iraqi attack should President Bush order American forces into Iraq.
The GCC is a loose political and economic alliance of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
But a UAE Defense Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press the troops who arrived in Kuwait on Sunday were not part of the Peninsula Shield arrangement. He said they belonged to a 4,000-strong force being deployed under a bilateral UAE-Kuwait agreement.
The discrepancies in the officials' remarks could not be reconciled immediately.
UAE is deploying a mechanized infantry brigade of around 3,000 men backed by Apache attack helicopters, Leclerc tanks, amphibious armored vehicles, two missile boats and support ships, said Col. Fahad Keti, a spokesman for the UAE army.
The Peninsula Shield force will not exceed 4,500 troops, of which 70 percent will be Saudi, Saudi chief of staff Gen. Saleh bin Ali al-Muhaya said in remarks published Saturday. Saudi officials could not be reached to confirm the report.
More than 70,000 U.S. troops are training in the Kuwaiti desert in preparation for a possible invasion of Iraq. Bush has threatened to use force to disarm Baghdad of weapons of mass destruction if it does not do so voluntarily according to U.N. resolutions.
Iraq denies it has such weapons.
Assuming that we want to wait for a new moon (something I think is desirable but not essential), we'd have to wait until April 1.
jmt teeman
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.