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Old 26-12-2018, 06:52 PM
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skysurfer
Dark sky rules !

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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: 52N 6E (EU)
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This will be the case in the coming years. The lunar orbit inclines 5 degrees with the eclipic, but the nodes change gradually. The 'node period' of the Moon is 18.6 years which means that when the ascending node is at the first point of Virgo (ecliptic longitude 180 degrees) will be 5 degrees less than 23 degrees which is 18 degrees which is the maximum declination of the Moon.
That was the case in 2016.When it is in the first point of Pisces (ecliptic longitude 0 degrees) the inclination with the celestial equator will be an extra five degrees which will happen in 2025, so the Moon can be at 28 degrees declination, which results that a mdsummer full moon (like 22 dec) reaches declination 28 degrees N and sets closer to the North. The same applies to the midwinter full moon in June (or last quarter in March or first quarter in September).
When the declination of the Moon is 28 deg S, it will pass in the zenith on latitude 28 S which is in Gold Coast at the QLD/NSW border.
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