Many Department of Defense units are currently using low-light-level enhancing systems to identify and track targets at night. These systems range from "starlight" scopes, commonly used aboard ships, to night vision goggles (NVGs), used by both fixed- and rotary-wing-aircraft pilots. You may be asked to provide illumination data in addition to Moonrise and Moonset times.

With your Tactical Environmental Software System (TESS) library and your desk-top computer, you may calculate lunar illumination quickly and accurately. You may find on occasion that the computer isnt available; so in this section, we will give you an alternative method for estimating the percent illumination from information presented in Air Almanac, as well as in Nautical Almanac.

At the lower right corner of each page of daily predictions in Air Almanac, you will find a small block (see table 6-8-1). In this block, the age of the Moon is given in days, such as 3d for the 3d day of the lunar cycle. These values will range from 0 to 29. Since the lunar cycle is 29 1/2 days, the 0 day is used every other month or so to balance things out. The same information is available in Nautical Almanac in the lower right corner of each page of the daily predictions.

Enter table 6-8-3 with the age of the Moon to find an estimate of the illumination. The percent illumination value is the portion of the Moon that is illuminated. It is not a comparison of the normal amount of light or illumination available during the day.

Privacy Statement - Press Release - Copyright Information. - Contact Us - Support Integrated Publishing