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From “On the Dangers of Lycanthropy and Lunar Exploration,” by Philip Plait, Astronecronomical Institute. Submitted to the Journal of Astronomy and Metaphysics October 2023*
We are now very deep into the spooky period, with Halloween correct all-around the corner. Not only that, but tomorrow evening (Oct 28) is the complete moon, so what greater time is there to go over the werewolf problem—or, as it is recognized in the scientific literature, the lycanthropic principle?
We are all common with the lore. Werewolves transmogrify to lupine type all through a entire moon and crave the hunt, particularly when people are the prey. The information need to have not be delved into right here. For more scholarly details, take note Waggner, 1941, Landis, 1981, and, primarily for the affliction in youthful victims, Daniel, 1985.
Hypotheses abound on the scientific basis of the modify, but sad to say, empirical research are few. (This is unsurprising, offered the mortality level for observers.) Medical journals sometimes publish speculative operate on the biology of the lycanthropic transformation, but yet again, challenging facts are sparse. This challenge is created even worse by the point that specimens acquired just after loss of life revert to human kind, which irrevocably alters the DNA and biochemistry of any retrieved samples.
But right here we will examine the astronomical foundation of the metamorphosis—specifically, the job of the moon—and then deal with its implications in the coming times of the House Age. We are not proposing any certain answers but merely desire to hearth the imagination of other scientists to possibly encourage them to pursue these matters further more.
The moon is a rocky spherical entire body, about 3,474 kilometers in diameter. It orbits Earth at a distance of 384,000 kilometers on average and normally takes a tiny more than 27 days to do so. As it orbits, its “phase” adjustments that is, the portion of it we see lit by the sun waxes and wanes about the system of a thirty day period. (The term “month,” we ought to observe, is derived from the term “moon” simply because of the approximate period of time of the moon’s orbit.)
Since this is at the coronary heart of the werewolf issue, let us take a second to analyze this phenomenon. The period of the moon relies upon on geometry: the angle shaped by the moon, the sun and Earth. When the moon is involving our planet and the sunlight, we see the unlit facet of it, the “night” side. We say at this time that the moon is new. A week later, when it has traveled roughly 90 degrees (1 fourth) of the way around Earth, we see one half lit and one particular fifty percent dark. This is named the initially quarter moon, in deference to its orbital posture. Incidentally, the visible dividing line in between working day and night time on the moon is known as the terminator (see Cameron, 1984).
Likewise, two weeks following the initially quarter, it is 3 fourths of the way close to its orbit. We see it once again fifty percent lit, but the formerly lit 50 percent is now dark, and vice versa. This is termed third quarter. A week later it is new the moment all over again, and the cycle repeats.
Of system, of best issue to us is the phase when the moon is halfway all over its orbit soon after it is new, reverse the solar in the sky. We see the lit 50 % facing us with the entire hemisphere fully illuminated: therefore, the total moon.
And herein lies the dilemma. We know this triggers the beastly conversion. It remains unclear, nevertheless, not only why but underneath specifically what circumstances the moon has this outcome. To wit: Just how full need to the moon be?
When we say the moon is full, in a stringent feeling, it is not. For that to be true, it would have to lie instantly on a line with Earth among it and the sunshine, and when that takes place, we get a total lunar eclipse! From the moon’s vantage place, Earth would block the solar, leaving the moon in Earth’s complete shadow. Whilst we have no direct observations to verify the concept, common lore suggests the werewolfian modify only happens when the moon seems entirely lit, which may exclude any result all through an eclipse.
So when we say the moon is whole, it is essentially not just opposite the sunlight in the sky but offset by a small amount—generally speaking, a handful of degrees. This raises an fast issue: How considerably from completely total can the moon be and nonetheless trigger the werewolfification? Five levels? Ten? By eye, the moon can seem very full a working day before and soon after it truly reaches that apex, when it is as substantially as 13 levels away from opposition. This implies an apparent experiment: measuring the specific time the human-to-werewolf change occurs and therefore the specific period of the moon.
There could be confounding things. Do clouds have an effect on the transformation? What if the target is deep underground or encased in a direct-lined room—or, possibly, on the opposite aspect of Earth when the moon is in the suitable stage to set off the lupinosity? Would they then change only at moonrise, through twilight (Hardwicke, 2008) or afterwards in the night (Giacchino, 2022)? These variables would all want to be tested and weighted—leading, one particular hopes, to a superior being familiar with of the big actual physical impetus of this change.
There is some urgency to uncovering these forces.
At this time, NASA, with each other with the European and Canadian area businesses, is presently executing a plan to return people to the moon soon after a 50 percent-century gap in its exploration. This laudable aim comes with no small danger, but a person very simple menace is probably not taken critically sufficient: What if someone on a person of these flights is stricken with lycanthropy?
The odds of this are low but perhaps not zero. Only 24 people ended up sent to orbit and land on the moon for the duration of the heady occasions of the Apollo missions it is a tiny sample, but continue to, we unquestionably dodged a (silver) bullet.
Collectively, NASA’s Artemis application and added close to-long term lunar exploration programs from other nations could see numerous dozens additional persons despatched. Had been these kinds of initiatives to spawn crewed circumlunar habitats or surface area outposts, the quantity of humans all around or on the moon at any offered time could arrive at into the hundreds. The hazards of even 1 of them remaining a werewolf are so obvious they require not be expounded upon.
On the other hand, we never know if being pretty much in get hold of with the lunar surface would amplify the results in unanticipated ways or perhaps negate them so totally that they wouldn’t be an issue. We can conjecture that a werewolf transformation is brought about by the moon as a body on the total fully reflecting daylight remaining bodily on it could signify the results are minimized or nullified.
On the other paw, shortly immediately after the month-to-month dawn, the complete landscape bordering our upcoming lycanaut will be lit by the sunlight, which could then bring about the alter from their watch, the full moon would be illuminated, so it would be, by some definition, total. This could imply that the hazard would be vastly amplified simply because the transformation would not very last a mere terrestrial night time but an overall lunar day, which is two weeks in length. The carnage would be virtually unearthly.
A person shudders to feel of what havoc might unfold on a crewed house station in lunar orbit. A normal lunar satellite orbital top is 100 kilometers above the surface. This sort of an orbit would consider close to two hours, with, on average, just about fifty percent of it around the unilluminated hemisphere, but obversely, that identical amount of time would be expended about the sunlit 50 percent. This means that an stricken human could adjust from human to monstrous canid and back again just about every two hours, staying in wolf form for a comprehensive hour at a time. In the enclosed volume of a smaller station, this would definitely direct to mayhem.
Either on the lunar surface area or earlier mentioned it, a transformation would unquestionably lead to a total decline of mission.
And what of Mars, to which NASA now has cast its eyes? Would our weak Martian astronaut experience alterations just about every time its moons are complete? Is it possible that the phases of our planet’s moon influence them as properly but at a decreased energy for the reason that of the wonderful distance, such that they only need to have to shave fairly a lot more aggressively and probably stifle cravings for exceptional steak?
One can only think about the chaos of browsing Jupiter and Saturn, which have 95 and 146 confirmed moons at this time, respectively, and maybe hundreds far more nevertheless to be uncovered.
It is for this extremely explanation that we place out this simply call to each the astronomical and biological communities. We must recognize the lunar influence on the werewolf and also obtain some way to possibly block or end it fully. We really should look into the probability of utilizing silver-lined area capsules and the hydroponic cultivation of wolfsbane. I’m positive additional opportunity modalities can be formulated as more experts and house agency officers grow to be informed of the urgent necessity.
There will occur a working day when we must take motion, and we really should be geared up. To reiterate Brooks, 1974, we do not want to answer the concern “Werewolf?” by pointing at the moon and replying, “There, wolf.”
References
The Wolf Male. Directed by George Waggner. Common Images, 1941.

Younger Frankenstein. Directed by Mel Brooks. 20th Century Fox, 1974.

An American Werewolf in London. Directed by John Landis. Common Photographs, 1981.

The Terminator. Directed by James Cameron. Orion Shots, 1984.

Teen Wolf. Directed by Rod Daniel. Atlantic Releasing Corporation, 1985.

Twilight. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Summit Leisure, 2008.

Werewolf by Night. Directed by Michael Giacchino. Marvel Studios, 2022.
*Editor’s Take note (10/27/23): All scholarly info falls in the ghostly realm of fiction and Halloween enjoyable.
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