<P>LunarPhase is a utility for Win 95/98/NT which provides a range of information on the Moon and, to a lesser degree, the Sun, graphically displaying the current phase of the moon (in real time).
<P>It uses the user's geographic location, Timezone and Daylight Savings Time (set on the Configuration screen) for its calculations, so these must be set up correctly. All times displayed (and printed) are in local time.
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Displays the times and dates of the major lunar phases for the month</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Displays the illuminated fraction of the lunar disk as a percentage in real time</FONT> </TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Displays the current age of the moon (since the last New Moon) and its distance from Earth in real time</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Provides realtime position of the moon in both RA/Dec and Alt/Az coordinates</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Provides the moon's parallax and its visible diameter (in arcminutes) in real time</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Displays a calendar of lunar phases for each day in the selected month</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Displays a Lunar Visiblility diagram for the month showing when the moon is above the horizon</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Calculates the Position Angle of the moon's bright limb in real time</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Calculates the circumstances of lunar eclipses and whether they're visible from your location</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Displays the names of Full Moons throughout the year, including Blue Moons [second full moon in a month]</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Set the time and date to that of a major lunar phase (New Moon, First Quarter, etc.) by clicking on the phase icon or phase data and time</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Set the time and date to that of an eclipse by clicking on the eclipse date in the eclipse details window</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Blue moons are indicated by a blue full-moon icon in the major phases window.</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Provides realtime position of the Sun in Alt/Az and RA/Dec corordinates in real time</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Calculates and displays Start and End times for Civil, Nautical and Astronomical Twilight</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Calendar printout for the selected month which includes for each day: the lunar phase (graphically), lunar rise/set/transit times, solar rise/set/transit times and the times and dates of the major lunar phases in the month. The user selects which of these appears on the printout.</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Tabular printout of all lunar, solar and twilight data for the selected month. The printout now inlcudes a column listing the Local Sidereal Time at Midnight for each day. </FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Selection of any time during the day, including reset to current time and date</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Tabular function provides a list of lunar rise/set/transit times, moon's illuminated fraction, solar rise/set/transit times and Start/End times for Civil, Nautical and Astronomical Twilight for the selected month on one comprehensive screen</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Popup window displays Day Number, Week Number (and Day No./Week No. in ISO format), Julian Day and number of days until Christmas</FONT></TD>
"3"></TD><TD VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>A new toolbar item pops up a window with the times and dates of the Equinoxes and Solstices of the the selected year, and their durations.</FONT></TD>
<tr><td width="20%"></td><td><font color="#000000"><B>NOTE: The various windows in this application can be moved around the screen by clicking on the window title and dragging the window to the desired position on screen.
<P>Across the top is the screen is the menu bar offering icons for printing, changing optical view, calling up the Tabular data screen, activating web links, changing the time, viewing eclipse details, calling up the Configuration screen, Help, About, Minimise and Exit functions.<BR><BR>
<img src="menubar.gif">
<P>Below this are two clocks and two windows รป the Current Phase and Major Phases Windows.</P><BR>
<h3>Clock</h3>
The clock, which increments in realtime (i.e. it's updated every second), displays the time for which the calulations are done (in realtime). That time can be <B>Now</B> (as set from your PC's clock) or any time you wish. This, in conjunction with the calendar, lets you get the lunar circumstances for any date and time. See <B><A HREF="lunarphase.htm#TIME">Selecting a Different Time</B></A> on how to change the time.</P><BR>
<h3>Local Sidereal Time Clock</h3>
Sidereal time is the hour angle of the vernal equinox, the ascending node of the ecliptic on the celestial equator. The daily motion of this point provides a measure of the rotation of the Earth with respect to the stars, rather than the Sun. Local mean sidereal time is computed from the current Greenwich Mean Sideral Time plus a sidereal offset in longitude (the lonitude you specify on the <B><A HREF="lunarphase.htm#CONFIG">Configuration Screen</B></A>). Astronomers use local sidereal time (LST) because it corresponds to the right ascension of a celestial body that is presently on the local meridian.
<P>LunarPhase's Local Sidereal Clock always displays the LST of the current date and time (read directly from the PC's clock) and is not affected by your selection of date or time within LunarPhase itself.</P><BR>
<h3>Current Phase Window</h3>
This graphically displays the current phase of the moon. It is updated in realtime. Additional information in this window are the percentage illuminated, current age of the moon (Since last New Moon), distance from Earth (in kilometres), the moon's RA and Dec, Parallax and visible diameter, all updated in realtime. The dates, times and distances of the next apogee and perigee round off the information displayed in this window. This window is automatically updated if the date, month or year is changed.
<P><BR><h3>Major Phases Window:</h3>
Here the times, dates and phases of the major phases (New moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, Last Quarter) for the month are displayed. The number of phases displayed can range from 3 (as in Feb. 1999) to 5 (as in Jan. 1999). This window is automatically updated if the month or year is changed. All times are displayed in local time. Blue moons (using the definition of a second full monn in a month) are represented in this window by a blue full-moon icon.
<P>Below the Current Phase Window are four more windows: Rise/Set times for the Sun and Moon, positional data for the Sun, Start/End times for Civil, Nautical and Astronomical Twilight and a window containing further lunar data.
<P><BR><h3>Rise/Set Times Window</h3>
This window displays the Rising, Transit and Setting times of both the Sun and the Moon for your location (in local time). Since the moon doesn't execute a single Rise/Transit/Set cycle every day, the chronological order of these events will change from day to day. The times (for the moon) are consequently displayed chronologically. On some days, the moon may not rise, transit or set. In such cases, the relevant heading will display a time of <B>*****</B> to indicate that that event will not occur on the selected date. All times are in local time.
<P><BR><h3>Solar Coordinates</h3>
Displays the Sun's Right Ascension/Declination and Azimuth/Altitude (in realtime). A negative Altitude indicates that the Sun is below the horizon.
<P><BR><h3>Twilight Times</h3>
Displays the Start and End times of Civil, Nautical and Astronomical twilight for your location. During the summer months, there is, usually, no astronomical twilight at all. The word <B>None</B> will appear in the Start and/or End time slot when this happens. The further North or South your location, the longer the Sun stays above the horizon during the Summer months and at extreme north or south locations, there may not be any Nautical or Civil twilight. In such cases, again <B>None</B> will appear for the appropriate Start and/or End twilight times. All times are in local time.
<P><BR><h3>More Lunar Data</h3>
Here the moon's Azimuth and Altitude are displayed, along with the Position Angle (PA) of the moon's bright limb and the moon's Phase Angle (Ph.A). All figures are displayed in real time.
<P>At bottom right of the screen is the calendar, showing the dates for the selected month and year. Days are arranged (e.g. Monday to Sunday) according to the value selected on the Configuration screen.
<TD WIDTH="80%"><FONT SIZE=-1>Clicking this icon will print out a calendar for the selected month and year. The printout includes a graphical representation of the moon's phase for each day in the month, the Sun's rise/transit/set (SR/ST/SS) times and the Moon's rise/transit/set (MR/MT/MS) times. An icon representing any major phases during the month will be printed in the appropriate date box along with the time when that phase occurs. The printout also shows the correct 'inverted' lunar phases for Southern hemisphere users.
<A NAME="TIME"><h2>Selecting a Different Time</h2>
<img src="clockedit.gif">
<P>Clicking the clock icon (<img src="clock.gif" align="bottom">) brings up the time edit window. Place the cursor over the required area (hour, minute or second) and click to edit. You can delete and type in new numbers as required. Pressing the ENTER key sets LunarPhase's clock to the time you entered.
<P>Clicking on the <B>Now</B> button returns LunarPhase's clock to the current time and date on your PC.
<A NAME="DATEINFO"><h2>Viewing Date Information</h2>
<img src="dateinfo.gif">
<P>The Julian Day, Day Number, Week Number (and Day/Week numbers in ISO format) and the number of days till Christmas for any date on the calendar can be viewed by <B>right-clicking</B> on the date in question. The information window will automatically close as soon as you do anything else within LunarPhase. It can be also be moved, as with all other windows in the application, by clicking on the window title and dragging the window to the desired location.
When viewing the moon through binoculars, the moon is 'the right way up'; i.e. it's orientation is the same in binoculars as it appears in the sky. When looking through an astronomical telescope, however, the moon is inverted (upside down). Two icons on the toolbar represent the view that LunarPhase is displaying, binoculars represent the 'normal' view, and a telescope icon represents the view through an astronomical telescope. The view can be toggled by clicking the currently active icon.
<P>This screen lists the rise, set and transit times for both the Sun and the Moon, the illuminated fraction of the moon's disk and Start and End times for Civil, Nautical and Astronomical twilight. All times are in local time.
<P>The screen can only show 27 days worth of data in its window, so to see the offscreen data, click on the list window and drag the contents up or down to display the information you require. As an alternative, use the Up/Down scroll arrows on the screen's menu bar.
<P>The Print icon on this screen's menu bar prints out a copy of the data contained in the list.
LunarPhase provides a number of links to online sites dedicated to the moon and lunar phenomena as well as to sites detailing previous and current lunar space missions. If anyone has suggestions for links they think would be useful, please email me at <a href="mailto:gnugent@indigo.ie">gnugent@indigo.ie</a>
<P>Introduced in V2.40, this screen which is called from the Reports menu (<img src="reports.gif" align="absmiddle">), displays the moon's visibility for each day in the month (the month that's selected on the main LunarPhase window). The days are numbered down the side of the digram.
<P>This diagram is especially useful for getting an instant view of what nights in the month will be suitable for deep sky observing or lunar observing (depending on your preferences). It also shows how the days lengthen or shorten during the month in question, over the course of the month.
<P>The black area down the centre of the diagram represents night, the light blue areas, day. The three dark stripes of blue on either side of the diagram represent Civil (dark blue), Nautical (darker blue) and Astronomical (darkest blue) Twilight.
<P>The moon is represented by the cream coloured horizontal lines, the thickness of which indicates the phase of the moon (thick = full moon, no line = new moon). The lines only appear when the moon is above the horizon at your location.
<P>The diagram defaults to the nighttime view where the single vertical line down the centre of the diagram indicates midnight. The dates down the side of the diagram therefore start at this position rather than the left hand side of the diagram. Do, day 1 comprises the right half of the line marked as '1' and the left half of the day marked as '2'. This may take a bit of getting used to, but just remember that each line on the diagram covers from midday on one day to midday on the next.
<P>The diagram can also be switched into daytime mode by clicking on the () icon. The icon will change to (). In this mode, each line on the diagram represents a day running from midnight to midnight. Clicking the () icon will return the diagram to nighttime mode.
<P>The diagram is also capable of displaying an overlay grid with divisions for each hour in the day (labelled at the top of the diagram). The hour numbering will depend on whether daytime or nighttime view is in effect. The hour grid is there just to give some idea of when the sun rises/sets, twilight start and end times and moon rise/set times.
<P>This diagram is especially useful for getting an instant view of what nights in the month will be suitable for deep sky observing or lunar observing (depending on your preferences). It also shows how the days lengthen or shorten during the month in question, over the course of the month.
<P>The diagram, as it appears on screen (in day/night mode, with or without grid) can be printed out as well.
<P><B>Icons</b>
<center><table width="80%" border="0">
<tr>
<td width="35"><img src="print.gif" align="middle"></td><td><FONT FACE="Verdana, Times New Roman" SIZE=-1>Print Lunar Visibility Diagram</font></td>
<A NAME="PHASES"><h2>Display Phases for Month</h2>
<img src="displayphases.gif">
<P>Introduced in V2.30, this screen which is called from the Reports menu (<img src="reports.gif" align="absmiddle">), displays the moon's phase for each day in the month (the month that's selected on the main LunarPhase window). The phases are displayed in a calendrical format, with each day being numbered.
<P>The day order (Sunday-Saturday, etc.) depends on the current selection of the "Day Order" on the Configuration screen and can be changed as required.
<P>The window provides an option to save the image as a .BMP graphic. A save dialog allowing you to specify a filename and directory path will appear. The save option is provided as a means of allowing you to use the image within your own web pages if you so wish. Please remember that the image is saved as a .BMP and that it will need to be converted to a .GIF or .JPG for use in webpages.
<P>Another option on the Reports menu (<img src="reports.gif" align="absmiddle">) displays the date of Easter Sunday for the current year (as set on the main LunarPhase window).
<A NAME="EQUINOX"><h2>Equinoxes and Solstices</h2>
<img src="equinox.gif">
<P>LunarPhase provides a menu of report options, one of which brings up a window displaying the times and dates of the Equinoxes and Solstices for the selected year. This window also lists the duration (in days) of each of the seasons.
<P>LunarPhase can calculate the dates of Lunar Eclipses between two (inclusive) years. This window is displayed when the <B>Find Lunar Eclipses</b> option is selected from the <b>Reports</b> menu (<IMG SRC="reports.gif" ALIGN="middle"> icon).
<P>The window allows you to specify a range of years over which to perform the calculations. Both years default to the current year when the window is activated. The <b>Calculate</b> button must be clicked to start off the calculations.
<P>The resulting display provides three pieces of information for each eclipse listed - the type of eclipse (total, partial, penumbral); the date of the eclipse (including the local time, <i>not</i> Universal Time, at which the eclipse reaches maximum); and whether or not the eclipse is visible from your location.
<P>The scroll bar at the side of the display can be used to scroll up and down through the list.
<P>Double clicking any listed eclipse will call up the <b>Eclipse Details</b> window which will list all details for the selected eclipse. The time and date on the main LunarPhase window will also be set to the (maximum) time and date of the selected eclipse.
<P>The Moon's orbit is inclined at 5 degrees to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon such that the three bodies are in line and the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow. Lunar eclipses can only occur when the moon is near full and can be seen from anywhere on Earth where the moon is above the horizon. The Moon doesn't normally completely disappear since it is illuminated by light scattered from Earth's atmosphere, but it usually becomes a reddish, coppery colour.
<P>The full shadow of the Earth, called the <FONT COLOR="#ff0000"><i>umbra</i></FONT>, is surrounded by a partial shadow, called the <FONT COLOR="#ff0000"><i>penumbra</i></FONT>. At the beginning and end stages of an eclipse, the Moon moves into the penumbra. This shadow is barely discernable on the lunar disk and eclipses where the Moon only passes through the Earth's penumbra are known as <FONT COLOR="#ff0000"><i>Penumbral Eclipses</i></FONT>. There are two other types of eclipse: <FONT COLOR="#ff0000"><i>Partial</i></FONT> where only a part of the moon passes though the Earth's umbral shadow and <FONT COLOR="#ff0000"><i>Umbral</i></FONT> where the Moon is totally enveloped by the umbra. These eclipses are better known a <FONT COLOR="#ff0000"><i>Total Lunar Eclipses</i></FONT>.
<P>The Eclipse Details screen lists the times at which various events in an eclipse occur. The amount of information presented will depend on the type of eclipse, with total (umbral) eclipses having the most information. All times are presented in local time (not UT).
<P>Each time a new month is selected on LunarPhases's calendar, a check is made to see if any lunar eclipses occur during that month. If one does, then the Lunar Eclipse icon (<img src="eclipse.gif" align="absmiddle">) will appear on LunarPhase's menu bar. Clicking on this icon will bring up the Eclipse Details window.
<P>This window also shows whether or not the eclipse is visible from your location.
<P>This screen allows you to enter your latitude and longitude and the name of your location. It also allows you to change the day order on the calendar and date format for the Tabular screen. A Daylight Savings Time switch is also included. This must be manually set, depending on whether or not Daylight Savings Time is in effect at your location.
<P>This screen also displays your application's Product ID. You'll need this if you want to register the program. If you register, you will receive a Registration Code which you should enter on this screen. More on registration below.
<P>At the bottom of the screen, you can select your timezone and whether or not Daylight Savings Time should be in effect.
<P>Exit the screen by clicking the Exit icon. It is at this point that any changes you have made are committed. Currently, there is no way of simply escaping from the screen.
<P>New in V2.40 is the option to set set the type of printer you have on this screen (Laser, B&W Inkjet or Colour Inkjet). This setting has nothing to do with the settings specified for your individual printer. Based on your choice here, LunarPhase merely uses different colour or grey shade selections to achieve the best possible printout (shades of grey aren't nearly as appealing as colour on a colour printer).
<P>LunarPhase is a shareware application. You may use it freely for 30 days or 100 times (whichever happens sooner). After that, you will be presented with a nag screen which will take increasingly longer to disappear the more you use the program.
The solution: Register! Registering the software will remove the Splash and nag screens. It only costs $20 (or other currency equivalent). It's also a one-off thing, so getting future releases of LunarPhase won't cost you another penny/cent. All you have to do is send me the LunarPhase Product ID (from the Configuration screen), the fee and your email or snail-mail address. In return, I'll send you a Registration Code.
<P>Cheques, Postal Orders, Money Orders should be made payable to (or notes sent to):</P>
<P><B><FONT COLOR="#ff0000">Online registration by credit card is now supported. Go online and simply click on the button below and you'll be taken to LunarPhase's online Registration Form.</B></FONT></P>
<P>You can always download the most recent version of LunarPhase from the <a href="http://indigo.ie/~gnugent/LunarPhase/">LunarPhase Page</A>
<P>I also have another application, JupSat95, which displays the positions of Jupiter's main satellites, produces satellite diagrams and GRS transit times and printouts. You can read about and download the latest version of the software at the <a href="http://indigo.ie/~gnugent/JupSat95">JupSat95</a> page.
