Visibility of Luna and Lunar Crescent

and a.rc$cnr snh ldgc clone.lion $ar apDcar snalle. snd laintr at p(riscc nar nol
RULTS OF THUMB: THE ANCIENT & TtII Mf,Dtt:vAL:
'rhe edli€st rcferehc. for ey rireno. for lhc visibitir! ofncw luntr cresccnt is
annburcd ro rhe BabJ,lonians (Foueringhm, r9r0. Aruin. 1977. Schaete!. lgttsa. yas.
I 994. Faloohi er a1. I s99 elc.). Most oflhe cxplom a&ibute ttE tollowinS rutc of $unb
'Thc ,.n lunar .rescent i s.ek \ en its aAQ
Nons4 loas 18 hihnles h.hi4d th. tns.!
nnrc thdn 21 ho^ un1 L
h na3 bem pointcd oul ihar th. ,crual Dabytonu (lcnon
ephislicarcd ar coopEEd ro lhk siopl. tule (F.r@hi €l ar 1999)_ ft is eilhs ou, trck ot
knostcdse oa lhen era or the nissing hjsbncd rccords $ar h6 rcsrid€d our
compchos'on of lheir effons. Autcnric Ecods of sighljne of new cEscent s young as
5 hours durirs Babylo.id c€ qisls (I6loohi el ai 1999. Andcrtic & Fih€is. 2006) in
lit 6turc. Sinilady. in modcm time ftsc.nc lagsjnS o.tyjr nrnucs behind $e su.*l
harc bccn *m wi(h aec tcaslhan 20 n6uB. Thc dala ser of46j obsetuations considcar
duflnC lhis $ork (b b. di*lssd in ddait in chaFcd j dd 4) inctldcs jt cascs whcn rhc
crcscd $nh l, C tcss rhan 48 Dinutes w.s cpon€d to h.vc bNn *en wilhour any
oplicalaid. rvhcEas.26 ca*s arc tncE in shich lhe age ofMoon ws lcs than 20 ho!6.
Rece rc-evatuation o|r(ords ofthe sigbdngs o|mscsrs in Babyton and Nineleh aho
sholv rhar cFscenh much younger rhd 20 hou* dd lho* lassrng bchind sunser muclr
l.ss rhln 40minures were sen (Andolic & Fimch.2006),
these rccenr compurarionat ef|ons for the recorded obseBarions oa lhc
Babylonian e6 ctearly indicarc lhar lhe lule of thmb asociared wnh rhn eD is an ovcr
simplificadon. lr has bcen eccndy ctaihed rh.t Babytonians had rodularcd I hrt,
nalhehalicdt tun& lheory which rhey uscd for prcdicring vartuus paramercBotth tunrr
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