
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, September 27, 1993                   TAG: 9309270028
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN MOON BLUE?

Q: I know you've probably heard more than you want to hear about the blue moon, but National Public Radio's astrology program puts August's blue moon at 10:55 p.m. on Aug. 31. J.A., Roanoke

A: Astronomy is an exact science - or nearly so. Mariners have steered by the stars for about 4,000 years. Rocket scientists rely on astronomy. So how come people who print calendars and newspapers can't get it right?

Last Monday I said in this column there were two full moons in August, based on a glance at the handiest calendar.

Then a caller claimed his calendar put the blue moon, or second full moon in a month, in September.

This time I checked the info against this newspaper's weather column that appears on page A2 every day. With a sinking feeling, I turned through a month's worth of page A2s that listed a full moon as occurring Sept. 1.

So last Thursday I "confessed" to being wrong about August having the blue moon. That's when the phone calls really started.

OK. Enough. I called the Navy, the folks who depend on the stars to save their ships, crews and lives.

The U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington dates the three full moons in question as follows: Aug. 2, 8:10 a.m. EDT; Aug. 31, 10:33 p.m. EDT; and Sept. 30, 2:54 p.m. EDT.

That makes August the blue-moon month around here. So I was right the first time!? But wait.

The Naval Observatory lists these things in Universal Time, which is four hours different from Eastern time. In the universal time zone, which falls in Greenwich, England, the full moon occurred at 02:33 Sept. 1!

So the conclusion is: If your calendar shows a full moon on Sept. 1, it's a universal calendar. If you find a full moon on Aug. 31, your calendar has been adjusted for local time.

If I ever write about a blue moon again, you'll know I'm blue in the face.

But I do thank each and every reader who called. It's good to know you pay more attention to this space than you do the moon chart on page A2.

Lotto vs. Social Security

Q: If I were to hit five out of six numbers on the Lotto, how would that affect my Social Security disability benefits? If the payoff were $1,000, would I be penalized one month for $1,000? W.S.P., Roanoke

A: If you're receiving regular Social Security disability benefits, a $1,000 prize would not affect your monthly check, a Social Security spokesman in Roanoke said.

A person receiving Supplemental Security Income, which also is administered by Social Security, would be affected. Benefits under Supplemental Security Income would stop until the $1,000 prize was spent, the spokesman said.

Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.

by CNB