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Full moon and werewolves

<pendantry>
There is no Planck second. There's a Planck time, however, and I presume this is what you meant.

But even that cannot be correct. It presumes that the sun illuminates exactly half the moon, and that the viewer must be at a specific point (or line) in order to see this half and nothing else.

But this fails for multiple reasons. First, the sun will illuminate slightly more than half the moon, because the sun is not a point source. Second, we can see slightly less than half the moon. Third, the variation in angle of our line-of-sight cannot allow for a full moon at only the point where we view the illumination of the moon symmetrically, because that would require that the line of sight and the sun-moon line to be parallel and overlapping. But that can only happen during a lunar eclipse. Every other time there is a "full moon", there is always a measurably nonzero angle between our line of sight and the line between the center of the sun and moon, because the moon is out of the plane of orbit of the earth around the sun.

Our definition for what counts as a full moon must therefore include a nonzero angular tolerance to at least account for each of the factors I listed above. I haven't crunched the numbers so I don't know if that would extend the relevant period to second, minutes, or hours, but it's definitely going to extend it past a Planck time.

So, werewolves aren't real? &#55357;&#56862;
 
So, in theory, if we could create a lycanthropic cow, we'd get unlimited steak?
And would it be infectious?

I remember an RPG scenario that has a lycanthropic lobster grown to huge size and terrorising London. :)
 
So, werewolves aren't real? ��

Actually, everybody is saying that 'full moons' aren't real. The earth side of the moon is never fully illuminated by the sun.

The OP was asking whether given the situation that the moon is never precisely 'full', how are movie style werewolves even possible. I was sorely tempted to say that movie-style werewolves aren't real. However, I don't want to take this cowardly position.
 
Actually, everybody is saying that 'full moons' aren't real. The earth side of the moon is never fully illuminated by the sun.

The OP was asking whether given the situation that the moon is never precisely 'full', how are movie style werewolves even possible. I was sorely tempted to say that movie-style werewolves aren't real. However, I don't want to take this cowardly position.

Not required to have full illumination. The "species" simply evolved to utilize what was available. While full transition requires a threshold amount of lunar reflected light, that threshold is reached and exceeded during three days every cycle.
Lycanthrope humans however will experience anger issues and vividly disturbing dreams on the days surrounding those transition days.
 
When I went to my work this morning I saw that the moon was almost full and alread waxing a bit. That meant that we had survived another werewolf time. :)

But that got me thinking (hey, it happens). What is the maximum time we would be at risk from werewolves, supposing they can only come out during the true time of full moon?

I know we can see a bit more than half of the moons surface from the Earth (55% isn't it?) and I can imagine we can see the most of it when the moon is closest to the Earth.

That would mean that a full moon would last longer than a new moon and certainly longer than a lunar eclipse. If I got my intuition right.

But how long would the longest possible full moon last?

The Moon gains or looses about 3.5% luminosity each day through its cycle. The actual day of a full Moon is gaged by the Moon rising at the same time as the Sun sets

Not being an expert on werewolves, but I would suggest the day of the full Moon would bring on change, and given it is hard to distinguish any darkening of the Moons limb on the days either side of the full Moon I think it probable a transformation would happen then as well.

Of course to keep this simply we have to ignore the Moons Libration cycle :(
 
Huh? If it's "almost full" and waxing (which means getting "bigger"), you're just approaching werewolf time. Did you mean "a bit less than full and waning"?



We see 55% because of libration. The moon wobbles about a little. We don't see 55% all at once.

If you want to get all astronomical about it, it's only "full" when in direct opposition to the sun. That's pretty much instantaneous. Or, at most, the duration of a total eclipse.



Well, to be fair, the full moon IS basically only out at night. I've heard of woo-meisters declaring that the moon is never up in the daytime; or alternatively, noticing it for the first time and thinking it's the end of the world.

Thank you.
I was a bit surprised that the full moon phase is that short. I had imagined it to last at least a few hours. Shows how much intuition knows. :)

And yes. I did mean a waning instead of a waxing moon. :blush:

About the 55%. I had thought it was we could see more of the moon because the Earth is bigger than the moon? And thus us being able to look a bit 'around the corner', as it were? But maybe the effect isn't that big, due to the distance of the moon.
 
This thread sound interesting!

Here's another question:
Suppose a werewolf lives on a colony on Mars. Mars has two moons. Does he turn when either of them is full, or only when both of them are full? Or maybe does he turn only when a specific moon is full?
It gets really fun with more than two moons :)

What about a colony on a moon? Does he turn when the said moon is full as seen from the planet it is orbiting? Or does he turn when the planet is full when observed from the moon? What about other moons circling the planet?

:p

McHrozni
 
When I went to my work this morning I saw that the moon was almost full and alread waxing a bit. That meant that we had survived another werewolf time. :)

But that got me thinking (hey, it happens). What is the maximum time we would be at risk from werewolves, supposing they can only come out during the true time of full moon?

Seems sources are in some disagreement about werewolfs. The most modern source (and the most rational, IMHO) is one Terry Pratchett. According to him, they are simply different. Some have wolf form all the time, some never. The typical werewolf can change at will, except for about five days around full moon, where they have to be a wolf.

So for safety, if you meet someone named Angua, be nice to her! :eye-poppi

Hans
 
I see you've all been dodging the question of lycanthropic rights as if it wasn't even a problem. Check your privilege, people!

Well. As it has been established that we can't trust lycanthropes (by all rights they should be out for a few minutes at most each month, but seem to be 'on the run' for up to three nights) it behoves us to keep a closer eye on them.
Don't you agree?

If we would establish a policeforce to keep them in check, or at least in their place, the world would be much tidier.
Seeing as the lycanthopes seem to be up mostly during the nights, I think we need a special nocturnal police force. This would give the vampires a nice and honest job to aspire to.

This way everything should be all right.
 
There's nothing to stop them from doing so.

They, like everyone else, just have to apply for a permit, or the right papers concerning, at the appropriate office. It's open every weekday from 10 am till 4 pm. Holidays excepting of course.

Sadly very few of them seem to make the effort to appear there. Which brings us right back to the question of them being untrustworthy.
 
There's nothing to stop them from doing so.

They, like everyone else, just have to apply for a permit, or the right papers concerning, at the appropriate office. It's open every weekday from 10 am till 4 pm. Holidays excepting of course.

Sadly very few of them seem to make the effort to appear there. Which brings us right back to the question of them being untrustworthy.

Permit? Papers? Damn you, big government!!!!!

Wait! There's no plans for their kids to go to same schools mine do, is there?
 
Permit? Papers? Damn you, big government!!!!!

Wait! There's no plans for their kids to go to same schools mine do, is there?

Of course papers. We do want a tidy society, don't we?

And yes. If they apply, then they are citizens like the rest of us. With all the duties and benefits thaty go there.

As there are no lycantropic children yet in our society, that means that we will have to run a test to see how these children, should they appear, will take to our schools.

As luck would have it, your children's school has indeed been selected as a test case. But don't worry. The lycantropic children will be accompanied by a vampiric police squad, so that everybody at your children's school will be as safe as we can possibly make it.
 
Of course papers. We do want a tidy society, don't we?

And yes. If they apply, then they are citizens like the rest of us. With all the duties and benefits thaty go there.

As there are no lycantropic children yet in our society, that means that we will have to run a test to see how these children, should they appear, will take to our schools.

As luck would have it, your children's school has indeed been selected as a test case. But don't worry. The lycantropic children will be accompanied by a vampiric police squad, so that everybody at your children's school will be as safe as we can possibly make it.

I don't know how mixed-species kids will adapt to our schools here in St. Louis. They'll have to be able to shoot without provocation, something we had to teach kids here to do years ago.
 
I don't know how mixed-species kids will adapt to our schools here in St. Louis. They'll have to be able to shoot without provocation, something we had to teach kids here to do years ago.

Exactly!

I'm glad you see the possibilities and the problems we face.

That's why we have arranged for all arms to be removed from the ordinary children and supply the lycanthopic children with guns provided by the government.
As soon as these children got the hang of unprovoked shooting, they will have to return the government supplied arms and get their own. Just like the other children.

It's a kind of positive discrimination. It's only temporary, mind you. Just to get them over this first difficult period.

As a need for extra participation of parents and in showing we do care for everybodies needs and wants, can we put you up for some committee work in that school?
Of course this committee's recommendations will be advisory only, you will understand that, but we promise to take the recommendations very seriously during the evaluation of this project.
 
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