The Correspondence of the Moon at Various Dates
with the Winged Oval Figure

Back to The Redhorn Panel of Picture Cave

The following table shows where the moon falls on the star map upper panel for those dates on which the moon is proximal to the winged oval figure at the right. All dates are anno Domini, Old Style (Julian). Only the moons of July (after Sirius rises), August, September, and early October were considered; beyond this time, the moon is full near the Hyades-Pleiades gap, and its shape does not fit into the oval of the pictograph. On average, the moon spends about eight years near the position indicated by the pictograph, followed by eleven years outside this zone. This reflects the Precession of the Moon, a cycle of 18.6 years which is expressed sidereally by its climb to just above the Pleiades at the major standstill in the cycle, to its descent to the lower part of the Hyades at the minor standstill in the cycle. A date marked with an asterisk is one on which the moon has a reasonably good congruence with the oval symbol.

Date Position   Date Position
9.28.953 9.15.1014
8.22.954 8.9.1015
9.16.957* 9.22.1016
9.6.958* 9.22.1027
8.27.959 8.15.1028*
9.23.959 8.5.1029
9.12.960 9.15.1033
8.15.971 8.9.1034
9.28.972 8.8.1045
7.23.973 7.29.1046
9.9.974* 7.19.1047*
8.9.977 9.15.1052
8.26.978 7.13.1053
8.16.979 9.4.1064
8.15.990 9.21.1065
9.2.991 9.11.1066
9.29.991 8.2.1070
7.26.992 9.16.1071
7.16.993 8.9.1072
9.26.994 9.4.1083
7.23.995 8.24.1084
7.12.996 9.16.1090
10.2.996 8.7.1102
9.22.997 9.21.1103
8.16.998 9.9.1107
7.19.1009 8.29.1108
8.15.1009 8.19.1109
9.8.1012*    

What follows is data pertaining to the Precession of the Moon, a cycle of 18.6 years, with the focus on the year 1028 a.D. The intention is to get an impression of how this cycle affects the sidereal precession of the moon, in this case, when it is between the Pleiades and the Hyades. The right ascension of the star 37 Tauri was chosen as the longitudinal marker for the position of the moon, since the position of that star is roughly between the Pleiades and the Hyades. The time given is when the moon is at the right ascension of 37 Tauri, at which time its declination is measured. All dates are for August of the year indicated.

Year August Time RA 37 Tauri Dec 37 Tauri Dec Moon
1020 13 1836 3h 7.9' 18° 53.8' 21° 47.0'
1021 3 1509 3h 8.0' 18° 54.1' 22° 35.2'
1022 20 1709 3h 8.0' 18° 54.3' 22° 13.4'
1023 10 1656 3h 8.1' 18° 54.5' 21° 38.4'
1024 27 0533 3h 8.2' 18° 54.7' 20° 42.2'
1025 17 1706 3h 8.2' 18° 54.9' 18° 44.2'
1026 8 0656 3h 8.3' 18° 55.1' 17° 28.9'
1027 25 2219 3h 8.3' 18° 55.2' 15° 8.0'
1028 15 0413 3h 8.4' 18° 55.4' 13° 52.5'
1029 5 0126 3h 8.4' 18° 55.6' 12° 29.6'
1030 22 0434 3h 8.5' 18° 55.8' 11° 54.4'
1031 11 2313 3h 8.5' 18° 56.1' 11° 23.7'
1032 1 0046 3h 8.6' 18° 56.3' 11° 45.9'
1033 18 1731 3h 8.6' 18° 56.6' 12° 58.1'
1034 9 0738 3h 8.7' 18° 56.8' 14° 47.3'
1035 27 0331 3h 8.7' 18° 57.1' 16° 34.5'
1036 16 0443 3h 8.8' 18° 57.4' 18° 10.2'
1037 6 2116 3h 8.8' 18° 57.6' 19° 42.9'
1038 24 0349 3h 8.9' 18° 57.9' 21° 41.0'
1039 13 2219 3h 9.0' 18° 58.1' 22° 5.6'
1040 2 1937 3h 9.0' 18° 58.4' 25° 30.3'
1041 20 0433 3h 9.1' 18° 58.6' 22° 29.8'
1042 10 1415 3h 9.2' 18° 58.8' 21° 26.8'
1043 28 0841 3h 9.2' 18° 59.0' 20° 9.6'
1044 17 2033 3h 9.3' 18° 59.2' 18° 2.8'
1045 8 0711 3h 9.3' 18° 59.3' 16° 49.1'
1046 26 0438 3h 9.4' 18° 59.5' 14° 35.8'

The green bands correspond to the declination of the moon at the major standstill, and the red indicates its declination at the minor standstill. It can be seen that Aug. 15, 1028 is not special in the precession cycle of the moon, since the standstill of the moon is reached in 1021 (major), 1031 (minor), and 1040 (major).