Free Republic

Stone pillars, moon’s 18.6-year cycle and ancient structures tell a story.. The major lunar standstill northern moonrise is visible between Chimney and Companion rocks once per month for a period of about 24 months, every 18.6 years.. To archaeo-astronomers, the stone pillars that give Chimney Rock National Monument its name and the structures there built by ancestral Puebloan people send a message. .... And something did happen at the monument Tuesday night: The moon rose between Chimney Rock and Companion Rock, demonstrating a rare celestial occurrence called the major lunar standstill. The event occurs monthly over the course of about...

THE Moon destroyed a forest on Earth just by wobbling, according to a new study. The theory solves a mystery from 2015 which involved tens of millions of mangrove trees dying in Australia.... ...The researchers used 30 years of national satellite data to conduct their research and correlate the Moon's behavior with the mass tree death. This helped them spot a pattern of trees dying every 18 to 19 years, which is in keeping with the Moon wobble timeline....

The last full moon of the year also happens to be the first on Christmas in 38 years. Photos of the Christmas full moon offer a festive, bright look at the night sky from around the world. Given the time of year, this special lunar occurrence is also known as the full cold moon, though the temperature of the moon is neither affected by its phases nor the weather on earth. Nonetheless, NASA's John Keller, who works at the Goddard Space Flight Center describes it as a special event that showcases the moon's unique relationship to earth. Keller said: As...