Predicting Weather By The Moon - Xavier University Libraries

Perigees and Apogees
its.
Apogee and Perigee are not on the same day each
month, but if you kept a running record you would discover
that 8.85 years is the exact length of the Apogee/Perigee
cycle. Of that time, half (approx 4 years) is spent over one
hemisphere, and half over the other. Whatever hemisphere
the Perigee is over will generally be subject to more inclement
weather around the globe during the Perigee duration.
The Moon, relatively speaking, speeds up and slows
down at different rates in the four weeks from one Perigee
to the next, moving at its greatest speed when it is at Perigee
and at its slowest when furthest from the Earth at Apogee.
The Moon’s speed is also affected by the lunar phases,
since the Sun’s pull on the Moon is different in the various
lunar quadrants. For instance, the Moon moves faster from
the Last Quarter to the New Moon, and slower from the
New Moon to the First Quarter. It also speeds up from the
First Quarter to the Full Moon, and slows down from the
Full Moon to the Last Quarter. A quickening also occurs at
lunar equinox - when it crosses the equator twice a month.
When the Moon speeds up its gravitational pull is enhanced.
Speed and force are intertwined. A bullet thrown at the wall
by hand will only bounce off it, but if fired from a gun will
go through the wall. All that has been added to the bullet is
extra speed, but it manifests as force. In a similar way, the
secret of breaking blocks with the edge of the hand in a
karate chop is the speed the hand is travelling. A faster Moon
might, given the season, induce gale winds and changeability,
faster weather systems, thunderstorms or tropical cy-
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