Red Moon stuff.

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_cs.ucc.ie>
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 01:20:05 +0100 (BST)


Erik Nolander:
> I've thought about this as well, but then I remembered hearing that the Red
> Moon probably stays the same height everywhere in Glorantha, except within
> the Glowline. I think this is in print somewhere, or maybe it has been
> discussed here on the Digest. Don't know what I prefer though, but since
> the RM is kind of "in-between" the Inner Plane and the Godplane, I think it
> makes sense and becomes a lot creepier if it stays the same height.

That's my understanding also. The RM isn't *quite* in the sky world, but is very nearly so, and even more so (in some sense I shall make imprecise...) in the Glowline. So it doesn't look like it's at any finite, sensible height above the lozenge, but it doesn't *quite* look like a normal sky object either. (Even above it being non-rotating, non-tilting, and non-rise-and-setting...)

Gary Switzer:
> One possible explanation as to why no eclipse could be that wherever
> you happen to be the Red Moon appears to dip slightly to allow Yelm
> to pass on his stately voyage, then re-ascends. This would be
> Mythically consistent, if a little odd looking. Perhaps one of the
> Red Emperor's Masks steps down from the Stool each day to
> re-enact this ritual, as well as going to lunch. =)

D'oh! ;-)

Personally I like the idea of there being eclipses. YgregMV. ;-) Too often and too predictable would be boring, though... However, the fact that the RM is stationary (possible bobbing and weaving aside!) takes away a good deal of the unpredictability we get in the RW. So maybe we need to add that back in... To add to the "lunchbreak" possibility, I'll float a couple of possibilities:

	o	Variable moon size.  If the apparent size of the lunar
		disk changes, then we can eliminate the total eclipses
		entirely.  Partial and annular eclipses are much
		less dramatic phenomena than totals, than still
		"noticeable".

	o	Variable lunar appearance.  As I mentioned above, the
		"distance" of the moon is a little strange.  It's
		possible that when the sun goes behind the moon, it
		doesn't _look_ like an eclipse at all -- the solar
		disk is obviously still obscured, but if the effective
		lunar "distance" were much less, it would only look
		like a heavily cloudy day, in terms of illumination.
		Now, _why_ this would be variable I have no idea, much
		less on what basis, but it's not impossible.


A related factor might be other planets. Dire portent-laden celestial events seem to be not so much simple eclipses, but _conjunctions_ of certain sorts. (Like the Doom same, most obviously.) Maybe such conjunctions can in some way change the appearance of potential eclipsing events in some way (though again, it's not immediately evident why this would be so).

Anyone notice about half the last Digest was about this celestial guff? Truly we must be in the last of days. ;-)

Cheers,
Alex.


Powered by hypermail