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Title - Moonstick Information Site, a future part of the Astronomy Information Site

About the Moonstick
A moonstick is a slide rule moon phase calendar.  It replaces a conventional moon phase chart or moon phase calculator.  The moonstick can determine the moon phase for any date, past
(8000 years), present, or future (8000 years).  It can also perform a variety of "advanced searches" (for example, "On what dates this year are there new moons?  How long until there is a full moon on Halloween?").  The moonstick automatically recognizes all leap years and leap centuries, all time zones, the calendar adjustment of 1582, and years "BC".  The moonstick produces results accurate to 1½ hours in approximately 10 seconds.  (For technical details, please see the specs in the Moonstick Instructions.)

       waxing gibbous moon - photographed by Jeff Stys

moonstick photograph - click for enlargement
moonstick -- $65.00 (shipping included) order now

flattened view of a moonstick set for September 1997 - click to enlarge
wraparound view of the moonstick



sunsetwheel
(to compute sunset times for any date anywhere)



lunawheel
(a smaller flat circular version of the moonstick)



calendarwheel (perpetual calendar)


calcudator
(project scheduler)
       What's New
· a new date scheduling slide rule for computing project-begin dates, project-end dates, and "number of days between dates" in days or weeks
(that keeps up with leap year for you) (calcudator.com)
· a one-step 7500-year perpetual calendar with holidays
(calendarwheel.com)
· a smaller more portable version of the moonstick
(lunawheel.com)
· a portable any-location any-date sunrise/sunset calculator
(sunsetwheel.com)


What's in the Works
· a new slide-rule scientific calculator

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More About the Moonstick

The moonstick consists of six specially designed rulers
(with triangular profiles).  Unlike a conventional slide rule, its rulers are bundled together in a hexagonal profile and held together by two rigid hexagonal straps (permanently fixed to a particular ruler).  Five of the rulers slide freely.  Through an intuitive system of color matching, the rulers are oriented and aligned to calculate moon phases.

The photo
(above) and diagram (at left) illustrate a moon phase calculation for September of 1997.  As you may notice, each ruler is uniquely numbered at its bottom.  (Ruler 0 is shown at both sides of the diagram for clarity.)  First, rulers 1 through 4 are used to select the year; then ruler 5 is used to select the month.  The moon phase for each day of the month is then shown along the junction of rulers 5 and 0.  (Notice in the diagram that there is a full moon on the night of September 16/17, 1997.)

Other possibilities for a portable moon phase calculator include electronic devices.  Such devices would likely be smaller
(< 9½ in) and lighter (< 3.86 oz) than the moonstick; they would, however, probably require batteries, be more delicate, not be waterproof, operate in a less intuitive fashion, and give little insight into how one might calculate the moon phase on his own.  A slide rule computer provides a durable, understandable alternative to an electronic computer.

To have your questions answered, please choose one of the following options.
· instant messaging
(requires AIM, screenname: Moonstick Co
, generally available 14h-22h UT Mon-Fri)
· e-mail
(messages generally answered within 16 hours Mon-Fri)
· postal mail
(Moonstick Co., 507 E. Jefferson St., Quincy, FL 32351, USA)


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Additional Moonstick Information

·
animation of a moonstick being set for September of 1997
·
photo of a moonstick disassembled
· Moonstick Quick Start Guide,
page 1 and page 2

·
Moonstick Instructions (requires Acrobat Reader), includes
    · Basic Operation Examples,
    · Basic Operation Guidelines,
    · Basic Operation Practice Problems,
    · Advanced Operation,
    · Advanced Operation Practice Problems,
    · Specifications,
    · Contact Information, and
    · Effect of Moon Phase on the Earth

· diagrams of example moon phase calculations
    ·
April 14, 1912
    ·
February of 1900
    ·
January of 2001 in the Chicago time zone
    ·
October 12, 1492
    ·
April 7, 30AD
    ·
March 15, 44BC
    ·
first quarters in 1969
    ·
full moons on Halloween night (2000 through 2099)

· Moonstick Supplemental Information
(Moon Phase Definition Conversions) (requires Acrobat Reader)
·
current construction methods
· message board

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Other Useful Information

·
what moon phases are
· how moon phases affect us
· internet-based moon phase calculator
· dates and times
(UT) of moon phases (AD1901-AD2100)
    · based on mean phase
    · based on ecliptic longitude differences
· how to calculate the moon phase in your head
    ·
years 2000 through 2009, 2 day accuracy
    ·
year 2002 only, ¼ day accuracy
    ·
year 2001 only, ½ day accuracy
      ·
But what if I can't find my moonstick and I can't remember these silly algorithms and I having a moon phase information emergency!
· how to calculate the times of sunrise and sunset with a scientific calculator
·
how the moon creates ocean tides
·
why the same side of the moon always faces the Earth
·
a moon phase calendar synchronized using continued fractions
·
how to predict the times of moonrise and moonset
·
directions in outer space
·
the motions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun
·
the standard elliptical orbit
·
assorted questions and answers (moderately disorganized)
·
more recent questions and answers

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Products Available on Other Websites

· Lunawheel
· Calendarwheel
· Sunsetwheel

·
The Moon Calendar Company
· MoonWatch, Inc.
· Concise Circular Slide Rule No. 300

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Information Available on Other Websites

· see the International Space Station pass over your location (tracking information provided by NASA)
· The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
· time lapse movie of the Moon
(as viewed from the Earth) during one month, large version and small version (provided by António Cidadão)
· sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, and related data (provided by the U. S. Naval Observatory)
· date and time of moon phases, 1700-2015 (provided by the U. S. Naval Observatory)
·
the current time
·
a page with lots and lots of information (provided by Students for the Exploration and Development of Space)
· the current phase of the moon (provided by the Wright Center for Science Education)
· sundial links (provided by Daniel Roth)
· highly recommended astronomy simulation software
(provided by ARC Science Simulations)
· if you can't find exactly what you're looking for

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How To Contact Us

When you have questions, comments, or concerns, please let us know by
e-mail.  You can expect a response in less than 16 hours (Monday through Friday).  Thank you for your interest.

signature
Sean Barton, Moonstick Co.
s b 6 6 @ m o o n s t i c k . c o m  key and padlock icon

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waxing gibbous moon photo copyright © 1998 Jeff Stys, all rights reserved
moonstick
patent number 5,974,001 and other patent pending
Moonstick Information Site copyright © 1997-2004 Sean Barton, all rights reserved

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