Mathematical Astronomical Morsels I

By Jean Meeus. Product Information: 6.00" by 9.00", 400 pages, hardbound. From The ForewordEvery time two full moons occur in the same month, pundits in the media take note. They explain that, according to folklore, the rare second one is called a blue moon—whence the saying, “once in a blue moon.” However, they have got it backwards, says Philip Hiscock of the Folklore and Language Archive, Memorial University of Newfoundland. The fabled blue moon, meaning any rare or unusual occurrence, dates back at least 150 years in the English language. The link to lunar phases in a calendar month is quite recent. Hiscock traces it to an obscure children's book published in 1985, followed the next year by a question card in the game of Trivial Pursuit!Meanwhile, hardly a week goes by in the Internet's astronomy areas without a total novice dropping in to ask, “What about the alignment of planets coming in May of the year 2000? Are we in danger of a tidal wave or a massive earthquake?” A replay se