[image: Beginn_des_Weltunterganges.jpg] *Ragnarok:* *The End of All Things* Have you noticed how something as terrestrial as the climate can influence something as ethereal as the mythological realm? Regard, for instance, the Greco-Roman mythological sphere in which the ageless Olympians know nothing but mid-May: luxuriant growth, abundant warmth; and fresh aether redolent of every intoxicating fragrance. A verdant spring that will never devolve into a desiccated autumn. Provided that no Huns or Goths ever manage to insinuate themselves into this idyllic world, the congenial climate will persist in perpetuity. The Nordic mythological realm, conversely, is far more convulsive than congenial: shaken by the same fierce gales and land-shattering upheavals that assail upper Earth's fur-clad warriors. The other contrast pertains to duration. Whereas the Greco-Roman Olympians smugly expect the Universe to persist without interruption, all those who populate the Nordic mythological Universe are keenly aware that the bitter end, in which all things -including the gods- will be cast asunder is inevitable. Moreover, the whole world, itself, will succumb to a universal deluge. They refer to this inevitable end as Ragnarok. While the arrival of Ragnarok is uncertain, we do know what will transpire when it occurs. First, and perhaps most disturbingly, all beings, from the lowliest creatures to the loftiest gods will become embroiled in a civil war. Brother will slay brother; daughter will slay father and mother will murder son. Fimvulveter, a protracted winter, will commence. According to some, this winter will persist for three years; according to others, it will last for thirty. The wolves Skoll and Hati, both of whom even now pursue the Sun and moon, respectively, will capture and devour them. The Gods will invade Valhalla; the sea will rise to subsume the land as Yggdrasil, the world tree on which the Universe is balanced, trembles and splinters. [image: dddyi3v-10b940d9-7d02-4ed7-b7f6-7aba79788f0e.jpg] *Skoll and Hati* Surt will command the legions of fire demons across the rainbow bridge which the flames will consume. Surt's flaming sword will usurp the Sun's position and eventually even the mightiest god Odin shall perish, consumed by the ferocious giant wolf Fenrir. Soon after Odin's demise, his son Vidar will come forth and rip Fenrir's jaw open, causing blood to mix with the rising waters. Without Odin's protection, Surt's flames will destroy all those who survived the civil strife: elves, dwarves, birds, beasts, men, women, children and gods. Or, almost all.... When the waters finally recede, a new Sun and moon shall replace the old. Two humans, Lif and Lifthrasir, who had found shelter in Yggdrasil's roots and survived by drinking morning dew, will arise to replenish the human race. The world will be born anew; gods will ascend, humans will thrive; elves and dwarfs and all such mystical creatures will take form in the forest hollows and lush glens of the resurrected world. All will be as it once was and yet, even in this latest iteration, another catastrophic collapse will occur and the cycle will begin again..... THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM 207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet <http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usm.maine.edu%2Fplanet&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHulkHuLP13bOG2PkNrPazsGWFs2A> 70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103 43.6667° N 70.2667° W Altitude: 10 feet below sea level Founded January 1970 Julian Date: 2459303.18 2020-2021: CII THE DAILY ASTRONOMER Monday, March 29, 2021 Exploratorium XXXIV: Super Worm Moon Location Earth-moon system Time Yesterday It has happened again. A Super Moon . Or, more specifically, a Super Worm Moon. As the name is somewhat confusing, we've decided to steer the Exploratorium all the way back to yesterday to investigate.* First: a "super moon" can only be a full moon, which occurs when the moon is at opposition: at the far side of Earth relative to the Sun. A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, a time period known as a *synodic month*. [image: full-moon-opposite-sun-1-Bob-King-e1535885283740.jpg] The moon appears full when it is at opposition, or on the far side of Earth relative to the Sun. When at opposition, Earth observers see all of the moon's illuminated area. Approximately 29.5 days separate successive full moons. Most full moons are not super moons, of course. A super moon can only occur when the moon is full around the same time that it reaches perigee, its closest distance to Earth during a given orbit. The time period separating successive perigees, known as an *anomalistic month*, is approximately equal to 27.6 days. [image: perigee-apogee-brian-koberlein-cp.jpg] This diagram shows the difference between a perfect circle, represented by dashes, and the moon's orbit, represented by a solid line. One can see that the difference between perigee and apogee is slight. The moon's mean *orbital eccentricity*, defined as the orbit's departure from circularity, is 0.0549. The orbit would be a perfect circle if the eccentricity was equal to zero. As the eccentricity is only slighter greater than zero, the moon's orbit is almost circular. As the synodic period does not equal the anomalistic period, full moons generally do not occur when the moon is at or near perigee. This month, the moon was full on March 28th and will be at perigee on March 30th. Although the full moon date does not precisely coincide with that of perigee, the two events are close enough to make March's full moon a "Supermoon." A supermoon is merely one that appears brighter and larger than other full moons simply as a consequence of its relative closeness. As one can observe from the above diagram, the difference between the perigee and apogee distance is relatively slight. However, the perigee moon (supermoon) is 14% larger and 30% brighter than an apogee moon, called a "micromoon." [image: supermoon-micromoon.png] So, how close do the dates of perigee and opposition need to be in order to produce a supermoon? Here, we turn, remarkably, to an astrologer named Richard Noelle, the fellow who coined the term 'supermoon." According to his definition, a supermoon is one that occurs when the full moon is within 90% of its perigee distance. Ironically, that would mean that the March full moon is NOT a supermoon at all, according to Noelle. He lists only two full moons in 2021 as supermoons; those that occur on April 27, 2021 and May 26, 2021. However, Fred Espenak, one of the most highly regarded of all Solar-lunar astronomers, cites the March full moon as the first supermoon of 2021. He also adds the April and May events as well as the moon on June 24, 2021. Let's regard the distances of these four full moons: Full moon (March 28, 2021): 225,042 miles; 362,170 km Full moon (April 27, 2021): 222,212 miles; 357,615 km Full moon (May 26, 2021): 221,851 miles; 357,462 km Full moon (June 24, 2021): 224,652 miles; 361,558 km The 90% rule would restrict supermoons to occurring when the moon is less than 360,000 km from Earth, thus eliminating the March and June events. The March full moon occurs when the moon is at the 88% point. However, because Fred Espernak includes the March full moon as a supermoon, most other sources refer to it as a supermoon as well. As we can determine from the above information, the March full moon will be the fourth closest full moon of the year. The closest occurs in May. The "worm" part merely refers to the March full moon, which is often called the "full worm moon" because during this time of year worms will often emerge from the thawing soil. Hence, "Super Worm Moon," a term one will not often hear. *Although the expression, "all the way back" might seem a bit sarcastic, it isn't. By conventional means of travel, yesterday is much farther away from us than the most distant galaxy in the Perseus Supercluster. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Daily Astronomer: https://lists.maine.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=DAILY-ASTRONOMER&A= <https://lists.maine.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=DAILY-ASTRONOMER&A=1>