Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!ll-xn!mit-eddie!husc6!cfa!wyatt
From: wyatt@cfa.harvard.edu (Bill Wyatt)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Tides at Sunset Eclipse?
Message-ID: <514@husc6.HARVARD.EDU>
Date: Thu, 23-Oct-86 11:14:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: husc6.514
Posted: Thu Oct 23 11:14:20 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Oct-86 00:08:57 EDT
References: <74@unc.unc.UUCP>
Sender: news@husc6.HARVARD.EDU
Organization: Harvard University, Cambridge Mass
Lines: 18

>Quiz time:  You are planning to be on a beach to see an eclipse at
>	    sunset.  How much sandy space will be available to set
>	    up telescopes in?  That is, will the tide be low or
>	    high (or in between)?

The expected answer is low tide, but in fact you can't tell, since every point
on the earth has a different lag time between the time of high or low tide
and the time the moon reaches zenith (or nadir) and rises or sets.

The interesting thing about this configuration is that it doesn't
matter whether its a solar or lunar eclipse, since the same tide
occurs when the sun and moon are together as when they are 180 degrees
apart.



Bill    UUCP:  {seismo|ihnp4}!harvard!talcott!cfa!wyatt
Wyatt   ARPA:  wyatt@cfa.harvard.edu