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LOTR Lunar Readalong
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Murlo
Rivendell


Sep 25 2017, 2:53pm

Post #26 of 57 (6541 views)
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1418 Halimath 29 (2017 September 22 / 2020 September 19): The hobbits stay at the Prancing Pony [In reply to] Can't Post

From the Reader's Companion, for the night of Halimath 29 as the hobbits approach Bree in the evening:


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Tolkien correctly makes no mention of the moon. The moon is only just past new, and the hobbits are facing east: a thin crescent would have been visible briefly in the west just after sunset.


Indeed, I saw a thin crescent setting in the west, about an hour after sunset on Hobbit Day this year :)


Murlo
Rivendell


Sep 25 2017, 3:37pm

Post #27 of 57 (6539 views)
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Lunar Readalong for the week of 1418 Winterfilth 1 (2017 September 24 / 2020 September 21) [In reply to] Can't Post

This week's Readalong finally posted!

It was a bit delayed since I had a busy "Hobbit Day" weekend :)

This week's reading looks like it will be lighter than last week's. Also, there is mention of the rising moon as they approach Weathertop, so we'll get to see that same moon rising by the end of this week!


Murlo
Rivendell


Sep 26 2017, 4:41pm

Post #28 of 57 (6529 views)
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Winterfilth's 1st quarter moon and Weathertop [In reply to] Can't Post

The moon phases in this week's Readalong schedule are going to be 1 day off from Tolkien's chart.

Tolkien marked Shire 'October' (Winterfilth) 3 for the Moon's first quarter in his moon-phase-chart (see the Reader's Companion). Checking the moon phases for the corresponding date in 1941 shows the first quarter was at 9:08 pm, so although Gandalf doesn't mention it, the Moon should be almost exactly at its 1st quarter when he faces off with the Nazgúl on Weathertop. Then on Shire 'October' (Winterfilth) 6, when Strider and the hobbits are camped on the western flank of Weathertop, they'll see the Moon rising above it almost exactly 3 days past its 1st quarter.

Although the moon phases of 2017-18 are mostly a repeat of the 1941-2 moon phases, it's not an exact repeat on exactly the same days, so the Readalong's 2017-18 moon phase scheme has been adjusted in order for the full moon of March 2018 to fall on the correct Shire date of S.R. 1419 'March' 7 (Rethe 7 evening, or pre-dawn Rethe 8), since I think that full moon of Rethe 7/8 is more crucial to the story than any other moon phase described.

So the 1st quarter moon on the night/morning of September 27/28 this year falls on Shire 'October' (Winterfilth) 4/5 in this year's schedule, about a day later (depending on your time zone) than in the story. As far as the moon on Shire 'October' (Winterfilth) 6 this year, it should still appear practically the same to most of us as it would have appeared in the story, but it will be rising about an hour earlier than the time Merry is supposed to have seen it rising. If you want to see it rise around the same time as in the story, then check it out the next night :)


Murlo
Rivendell


Sep 27 2017, 3:19am

Post #29 of 57 (6500 views)
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Winterfilth's 1st quarter moon in 2020 [In reply to] Can't Post

I just checked, and the 1st quarter moon of Winterfilth in 2020 will fall on the correct night of Winterfilth 3/4 (September 23/24) Smile

Also, a 1st quarter moon sets at midnight. Since Gandalf doesn't escape Weathertop until sunrise, at least 1/2 his battle with the Nazgûl would be under a moonless sky.


Murlo
Rivendell


Oct 1 2017, 4:12pm

Post #30 of 57 (6449 views)
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Did the Moon rise over Weathertop late at night on Winterfilth 6? [In reply to] Can't Post

After my amateur astronomy experiment last night, I'm starting to wonder why Merry said "it must be getting late" when he saw the moon rising above Weathertop.

Even if they were camped fairly low by a nearly vertical slope on Weathertop's western flank, the moon would have crested over it by about 2 or 3 hours after sunset (when it nearly reaches its peak in the southern sky).

That's still after dark when the stars are out, so I guess Merry's "it must be getting late" is fairly relative, but also maybe he wasn't an expert astronomer and thought it was later than it actually was ;)


Murlo
Rivendell


Oct 2 2017, 3:33pm

Post #31 of 57 (6438 views)
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Lunar Readalong for the week of 1418 Winterfilth 9 (2017 October 2 / 2020 September 29) [In reply to] Can't Post

The Readalong for this week has just posted!

This week's reading will be even lighter than last week's.

I was debating on whether or not to include the "optional reading" for what Glorfindel got up to this week. I thought I would only include "optional readings" that had some dialog or some other "live" accounting of events, such as Gandalf's dialog with Saruman or the Gaffer. In these optional readings, Glorfindel is pretty much just recounting his actions during this week in the past tense, but I went ahead and included them for completeness. So I would consider those optional readings even more "optional" than the past few weeks of Gandalf readings.


(This post was edited by Murlo on Oct 2 2017, 3:34pm)


Murlo
Rivendell


Oct 4 2017, 3:00pm

Post #32 of 57 (6422 views)
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The full moon of 1418 Winterfilth 11; the anniversary of Ulmo coming to Tuor [In reply to] Can't Post

The full moon this year doesn't come until tomorrow, but there is no mention of the moon in today's reading for Winterfilth 11, although this date is marked as a full moon in the Reader's Companion chart. There was only the vague description of the waxing moon for the previous nights:


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They dreaded the dark hours, and kept watch in pairs by night, expecting at any time to see black shapes stalking in the grey night, dimly lit by the cloud-veiled moon...


Incidentally, on this date of Winterfilth 11 by Shire Reckoning (a.k.a. Narquelië 11 by the calendar of the Dúnedain) in the Third Age 3018 marked the 6554th anniversary of Ulmo coming to Tuor at Vinyamar in Nevrast, and instructing him to journey to Gondolin (according to the 1st chapter of Unfinished Tales).


Murlo
Rivendell


Oct 9 2017, 2:54am

Post #33 of 57 (6195 views)
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Lunar Readalong for the week of 1418 Winterfilth 15 (2017 October 8 / 2020 October 5) [In reply to] Can't Post

The final Readalong for Book I just posted!

This week concludes the Readalong for Book I, and we start Book II four days later!


Murlo
Rivendell


Oct 17 2017, 4:48am

Post #34 of 57 (6107 views)
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1418 Winterfilth 18 (2017 October 11 / 2020 October 8): Last quarter moon of Winterfilth [In reply to] Can't Post

At the end of the reading for Winterfilth 18, Strider and the hobbits marched through the night with Glorfindel who "led them, into the mouth of darkness, and still on under the deep clouded night. There was neither star nor moon."

Tolkien makes particular note that the moon couldn't be seen because of the clouds, since this was the night just before the last quarter moon; so it would have risen around midnight and stayed up the rest of the night, not setting until around noon on Winterfilth 19.


Murlo
Rivendell


Oct 17 2017, 7:05am

Post #35 of 57 (6099 views)
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Lunar Readalong for the week of 1418 Winterfilth 24 (2017 October 17 / 2020 October 14): Start of Book II [In reply to] Can't Post

The next Readalong has been posted!

This week we start Book II, with all of chapter 1 on one day (Winterfilth 24 / October 17 this year), and all of chapter 2 on the next day! Then the pace really slows down after that, while the Fellowship stays in Rivendell.


Murlo
Rivendell


Oct 19 2017, 2:00pm

Post #36 of 57 (6014 views)
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Winterfilth 24 (2017 October 17 / 2020 October 14): No moon on the eve of the Council of Elrond [In reply to] Can't Post

The night before the Council of Elrond, when Frodo is going to sleep, Bilbo leaves his room to go "look at the stars of Elbereth in the garden". Since it was less than 2 days until the new moon, the entire night was moonless, so it was an excellent night for star gazing :)


Murlo
Rivendell


Nov 3 2017, 7:33am

Post #37 of 57 (5637 views)
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Lunar Readalong for the Hunter's Moon of 1418 Blotmath 10/11 (2017 November 3 / 2020 October 31) [In reply to] Can't Post

The next Readalong is posted!

It's a fairly short passage describing the Hunter's Moon and a red star Frodo observes in the evenings, which some think is Mars.

This is the last reading until the Fellowship is formed (December 10th this year).


Murlo
Rivendell


Nov 6 2017, 11:55pm

Post #38 of 57 (5228 views)
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Mars and the Hunter's Moon of 1418 [In reply to] Can't Post

Mars will not be visible in the evenings of November this year (it's only visible for a couple of hours before dawn), but it will be visible for the Readalong in November of 2020!

I guess that's a small trade-off for the Readalong in 2020-21, since Venus will not be visible for the Mirror of Galadriel scene then, but it will be visible for the current Readalong in February 2018.


Murlo
Rivendell


Nov 17 2017, 2:05pm

Post #39 of 57 (4722 views)
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Venus not so prominent for Mirror of Galadriel scene in February 2018 after all? [In reply to] Can't Post

Maybe I should have downloaded the Stellarium app sooner, because according to this app, Venus will only be visible for about 1/2 hour after sunset in February 2018. So not nearly as high in the evening sky as described for the Mirror of Galadriel scene, and probably not as bright either since it will be setting in the glow of the sunset.

Hopefully it will still be a pleasant sight to see just before the mirror scene reading anyway :)


(This post was edited by Murlo on Nov 17 2017, 2:06pm)


Murlo
Rivendell


Dec 10 2017, 6:43am

Post #40 of 57 (4540 views)
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Lunar Readalong for 1418 Foreyule 18 (2017 December 10 / 2020 December 7) [In reply to] Can't Post

The reading for the last quarter moon of December has been posted!

This week's reading covers the final formation of the Fellowship of the Ring, and the reforging of Narsil!


Murlo
Rivendell


Dec 17 2017, 7:21am

Post #41 of 57 (4316 views)
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Lunar Readalong for 1418 Foreyule 25 (2017 December 17 / 2020 December 14) [In reply to] Can't Post

The reading for the new moon of December has been posted!

In this week's reading, Frodo receives valuable gifts from Bilbo, then the Fellowship of the Ring must depart Rivendell.


Murlo
Rivendell


Jan 1 2018, 6:35pm

Post #42 of 57 (4060 views)
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Lunar Readalong for the week of 1419 Afteryule 8 (2018 January 1 / 2020 December 29) [In reply to] Can't Post

This week's reading starts with the first full moon of S.R. 1419 (T.A. 3019), when the Fellowship reaches Hollin, and ends with the Fellowship entering Moria!


Murlo
Rivendell


Jan 7 2018, 5:31pm

Post #43 of 57 (3935 views)
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Readalong cutoffs on each date [In reply to] Can't Post

I edited last week's post a couple of times trying to find a good cutoff for each night's reading. It was a bit tricky trying to include mostly night events in one day's reading and leaving morning events for the next day, since most events last week spanned the entire night. Shire dates are reckoned from midnight to midnight (just like our modern dates), so the snowstorm on Caradhras is mostly in the pre-dawn hours of Afteryule 12, for example.

In the end I thought each cutoff should be as close to midnight as possible, and I'll leave it to the discretion of the reader to decide when to read pre-dawn events past the midnight cutoffs Smile


Murlo
Rivendell


Jan 7 2018, 6:30pm

Post #44 of 57 (3925 views)
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The moon of 1419 Afteryule 13 and the West-gate of Moria [In reply to] Can't Post

The http://shire-reckoning.com/moon.html article and the Reader's Companion address the issue with the waning (nearly 3rd-quarter) moon shining on the West-gate before midnight on Afteryule 13: last night's moon didn't even rise until nearly midnight, and it didn't pass its peak in the southern sky until a couple of hours before before dawn. So it could not shine directly on the door (which is surrounded by westward-facing cliffs) until it moved into the western skies between midnight and dawn.


(This post was edited by Murlo on Jan 7 2018, 6:31pm)


Otaku-sempai
Immortal


Jan 7 2018, 6:39pm

Post #45 of 57 (3923 views)
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Restart the thread? [In reply to] Can't Post

I've been thinking you should start a new chapter for the topic as this thread has dropped pretty far back.

"I may be on the side of the angels, but do not think for one second that I am one of them." - Sherlock


Murlo
Rivendell


Jan 7 2018, 6:39pm

Post #46 of 57 (3919 views)
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Lunar Readalong for the week of 1419 Afteryule 14 (2018 January 7 / 2021 January 4) [In reply to] Can't Post

This week's reading starts with the Fellowship's journey through Moria and ends with their arrival in Lórien!


Murlo
Rivendell


Jan 8 2018, 3:01pm

Post #47 of 57 (3910 views)
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New post? [In reply to] Can't Post

I do like having all posts so far consolidated under 1 thread, but it is probably a good idea to start a new post soon. I typically view the forums sorted by activity, so this post stays near the top in that view, but it does seem that the forums will sort by the original post's date by default.

The Breaking of the Fellowship is coming up in February, and that's when this chronological reading order will get really interesting, so maybe I should start a new post then. Or perhaps when the readings start up again in February for the Mirror of Galadriel scene (after this week there are only 1 or 2 optional readings until then).


entmaiden
Forum Admin / Moderator


Jan 8 2018, 7:55pm

Post #48 of 57 (3888 views)
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These boards don't move old threads [In reply to] Can't Post

so if you continue in this thread, many people will miss it because it's scrolled off page one. The default sort is by Creation date, so very few readers sort by Activity date.

I would recommend a new post, but you can also include a link to this one.


(This post was edited by entmaiden on Jan 8 2018, 7:57pm)


Attalus
Lorien


Jan 8 2018, 11:49pm

Post #49 of 57 (3874 views)
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Activity Date? [In reply to] Can't Post

Might I ask how one gets to sort by activity date? Smile

We are the fighting Uruk-Hai! We slew the great warrior! Well, yeah, first he killed a bunch of us and another whole lot of Mauhúr's lads, and we had to shoot enough arrows into him to drop a Mûmak. But we got him!


entmaiden
Forum Admin / Moderator


Jan 9 2018, 1:19am

Post #50 of 57 (3865 views)
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At the top of the page, for a specific forum [In reply to] Can't Post

there are several columns in the green menu bar. The columns are Subject, Author, Views, Replies and Age (Creation). If you click on Age, it will re-sort to show by Activity. However, if you leave the forum and come back, the sort will be re-set to Age (Creation), which is the default.

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