Neil deGrasse Tyson Full Moon Effects

[courtesyclerk]

man, Sinbad be killin it

[hdzsound]

The moon has caused some Saiyans to transform into their Great Ape form and has been destroyed two times and revived one time.

[kaduisaui]

What about werewolves?

[Melancolia793]

Might as well be an evolutionary advantage in giving birth on a full moon where visibility is higher.

[adiamondfordisease]

Does anyone know the formula he speaks of? Not saying as a doubter, I love Dr. Tyson and his works. Just was curious as to what it was, and I was really hoping he'd show it.

[RufftaMan]

i guess the simplest way to find out is to use the formula F = G * m1 * m2 / r^2 and use your head's mass as m1 and the moon's mass as m2, then take the distance between your head (earth's surface) and put it as r.

G is the gravitational constant and is approximately 0.00000000006673

the result you should get is something around F = 0.00017 Newton.

that is a pull equal to the force of a weight of 0.017 grams ( or 0.000026 pounds) pushing on your head.

sue me if i made an mistake ^^

[RufftaMan]

@adiamondfordisease

-edit-

sorry, i meant the distance between your head (earth's surface) and the moon of course.. ^^

also the @-part above didn't fit anymore, so there is is =)

your results may vary depending on what exact numbers you take (make sure to use SI units tho, just saying =) but the result should still be a negligible number compared the the attractive force of earth (g =~ 9.81m/s^2 compared to a "moon-on-your-head-acceleratio­n" of ~0.000034m/s^2)

[F00dTube]

"I told you this was brain droppings. I had warned you in advance." :)

[brewerbrian420]

I simply love Mr. Tyson. Always hilarious always logical.

[CoolEuro]

Here's something for you guys...THE MOON IS ALWAYS TRAVELING AROUND THE EARTH! Sometimes we don't see it, but it is there, above us. And as far as I know, it is always full, never just a piece of it, even when we see it partially or not at all illuminated by the sun. So if there was any influence by the GRAVITY OF THE MOON, it would be felt every day or every night, depending of the cycle timing. You are welcome!

[lisn92]

@CoolEuro yeah, doesnt the moon control the tides of the sea?

[ttopperr]

@lisn92

No the moon doesn't control the tides of the seas. It’s the gravity from the moon the pulls the water towards it as it orbits around the earth that causes the title fluctuations.

[cyphonyx]

Increased crime rates during full moons are likely caused by the fact that the criminals can better see what they're doing when the moon is lighting things up that much better. Another good explanation would be confirmation bias.

[Ramel34]

So the best way to get laid is to take a female to the moon, right? Tell Nasa to let me borrow the shuttle for a few days.

[razzlefrog]

He is SUCH a good role model! I wish kids were less interested in rappers and professional celebrities and really got into this guy.

[CPmasterxxxxxx]

@razzlefrog

im 12 years old and i like this guy more than any rapper or celebrity

[Lauxesa]

@CPmasterxxxxxx and?

[GregTess]

@razzlefrog Eh, I believe you can have both, Micthemicrophonezero's work is pretty tight.

[JamesWest1994]

@razzlefrog true comment.. but thats kinda stereotypical .. im a kid and im interested in this guy ; there are full adults interested in rappers and celebrities and probably not interested.. it all depends in the ACTUAL person just saying!

[Nat4Brendan]

@razzlefrog Nothing wrong with being interested in rappers and celebrities.

[BlazinBlack109]

@razzlefrog Thing is alot of the stuff he says is sorta around the lines of "real common sense" IMO. The masses are retards. This is a reality I have accepted. This is one of the few real cats left on earth. We gotta stick together :P

[Yallniggasbetrollin]

Def Jam Science.

I like this guy.

[DarthGarz]

I love you, Neil.

[GodlessMorality]

So stoked to see Neil next week at TAM 9!!!!!

[GoblinXXX]

The full moon doesn't even affect werewolves. That wasn't part of folklore until the movie THE WOLFMAN established it in 1941. Werewolves traditionally could transform whenever they wanted.

[mrmelkor1]

Neil deGrasse Tyson is just too awesome.

[kossmikham]

Sorry Neil, you're a great physicist, but human female pregnancy is not exactly your area. The normal human female gestation period is 38 weeks, or 266 days, which is 4 days short of 9 months. It is NOT 295 days, which is close to 10 months. Not even 1% of pregnancies are that long. Surprised at you dude. Usually you have your facts straight.

[dudev]

@kossmikham

Neil said from the point of conception (not the date of missed period), which adds on about 2 weeks to the average gestation period of 280 days, working out to a grand total of around 295 days. (Also taking into account the fact that it takes 3 to 4 days for the sperm to reach the egg). Neil deGrasse Tyson is the man. He does his homework. And I'm so thankful I'm not a woman.

[kossmikham]

@dudev Do you understand what "gestation period" means? Apparently not. Gestation period, by definition, *IS* measured from the time of conception. The "missing the period" thing doesn't enter into it to begin with. Again: human gestation period is 266 days. That's it. Now you can jump through hoops and do backward summersaults to try and pad it out to 10 months, but it's bullshit. The fact is 266 days is an exact multiple of lunar cycles, but that multiple is 9, not 10. DeGrass slipped here.

[dudev]

@kossmikham

Gestation period is often reported on two time scales. From time of conception or from time of missed period, depending on whether you're the doctor or the patient, respectfully. And the average in medical journals is reported as 40 weeks, with the healthy range being 37 to 42 weeks. (Source: National Institute of Health).

[dudev]

@dudev

Oops, meant to say "respectively."

[TheDano1947]

Nope it's the stork who yanks the baby out

[GoblinXXX]

@TheDano1947 Don't be ridiculous. Everyone knows he puts the baby IN there! (Stork Theory: Teach the controversy!) ;)

[Qermaq]

How can you trust a man who stole our Pluto? :) j/k very good speaker and smart guy.

[DukeNukemIsHere3]

TYSON FOR PRESIDENT

[rockerojuan]

He should be a stand up comedian instead of a physicist.

[DarkZholt]

I think the full moon has some effects on our behavior. I mean, our ancestors would probably take advantage of the extra light of the full moon to do stuff (mate for example, and securing a place for woman during labor would be safer with better visibility) but thinking that some sort of phisical effect would be able to affect us in a perceivable way is a little too much.

[ViperRob42]

It's all just...lunacy

[pandapalace11]

I vote Mr. Tyson for President of the earth

[dude157]

I would go a step further than Dr Tyson and argue that it doesn't matter whether it is a full moon or not, the moon's mass does not change depending on our visual perspective of it.

Therefore the effect of its gravity, does not change depending on the proportion of the moons surface we can see, that is illuminated by the sun.

[slice22358]

@dude157 the mass doesn't change, but the distance does, and so the gravitational effect is different, albeit very slightly.

[dude157]

@slice22358 Yes this true, a very valid point. However to clarify I was referring to Lunar Phase. Where the moon is, in relation to the Sun as well as the Earth, rather than the moon's location in its orbit. For instance, when it's a full moon, the moon is not necessarily at the point in its orbit which is closest to Earth, and vice versa. Interestingly tonight, it is a full moon, and the moon's orbit position is at the closest point to Earth. An event that occurs only every two or three years.

[slice22358]

@dude157 ah gotcha, and can I say how grateful I am to have received a well thought out, polite response instead of the usual storm of stupidity that usually comes when you question someone on youtube

[dude157]

@slice22358 You're welcome :-) I am glad you brought it up. Gave me the opportunity to clarify any discrepancies in my last post. I have found that, barring a few religious folk, trolling science topics, is not at the top of most peoples agenda !

[khabaznak]

"Brain-Droppings"

-Neil deGrasse Tyson

[maldoman23]

if they where to ever make a movie about neil..terrance howard could play him

[geckotwister]

He kills me everytime, I just love this guy!

[NightSkyNetwork]

The NASA Night Sky Network is listening to Neil deGrasse Tyson! Happy Autumn or Spring, depending on which hemisphere you are in :)

[kinsmed]

Until science teachers are at least half as compelling as Neil Tyson, the world will continue to roll right past us.

[bluefirekey]

my boy was born on a lunar eclipse. right in the thick of it.

[ninjajesus81]

It's so easy to debunk some of this stupid crap, that you can not only debunk it, you can make those believers look completely retarded at the same time.

[deedubya286]

Aren't the tidal effects of the moon the same whether it's full or not?

[BruceK10032]

@deedubya286 The Moon's gravity doesn't vary with its phase. Tidal effects on Earth's oceans are a combined effect of the gravitational influences of the Moon and the Sun. At full Moon, the Moon and the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth. I believe this increases tidal effects.

[deedubya286]

@BruceK10032 I think the tidal effects are enhanced during a new moon when the sun and moon are on the same side and the gravity is additive but I'm not sure.

Here's one; I live in a farming community where everyone swears that you are more likely to get cold temperatures on a night with a full moon. I can't see the connection.

Ever heard of this?

[BruceK10032]

@deedubya286 "When the sun, moon, and the earth are lined up, the sun and moon are exerting their strongest force together and tidal ranges are at their maximum. This is known as spring tide (spring tides are not named from the season but from 'spring forward') This occurs twice each month, when the moon is full and new."

[BruceK10032]

That was taken from geography.about.com/od/physica­lgeography/a/tides.htm

[St00sh13]

@deedubya286 Isn't it more likely that you only see a full moon when there are no clouds. No clouds = colder night!

[deedubya286]

@St00sh13 True enough, but people aren't as worried about a clear night when the moon isn't full. In the fall when it starts getting colder at night people will actually worry about when the next full moon is due, not just the next clear night.

[BruceK10032]

@deedubya286 Many believers in astrology attempt to argue--when they want to come up with some pseudoscientific justification for astrology--that the graviational effects of the various planets affect our behavior, and even our personality. This doesn't work at all. For example, Jupiter is always there, whether it's over your head or under your feet.

[BruceK10032]

@deedubya286 Astrology doesn't take into account which way you are facing. If Jupiter's position in the sky at the time of your birth were to influence your personality, wouldn't it matter whether you were facing toward it or away from it--whether it were on your left or your right? And to claim it influences your life today--because it's so close, or because it's in Pisces, omits the question of where it is in relation to your body. It's under my feet now, last night it was over my head.

[theoldbat40]

@theoldbat40

Come to think about it, I think (even a genious might be erronious from time to time) he meant to pull 14 days from the 280, not add them. The result would be the same - only you'd hit the full moon a month earlier :)

[rns13]

@theoldbat40

that's where you are mistaken, the 280 days doesn't include the 2 weeks. that is what i was always told as well, however i checked this out because of your comment and tyson is correct it is 280 days from the first fist period which is when women usually find out they are pregnant. but that is not the date of conception. 2 weeks is the average time in between the 4 week cycle in which they had sex and got pregnant. he is going from the estimated date of conception.

[theoldbat40]

@rns13

I have read a lot of sources from my books at home and on the internet. Even wiki states; 40 weeks counting from the first day of the last menstrual period.

In other words; 38 weeks is the real pregnancy.

[rns13]

@theoldbat40

and right after that line in wiki, it says the WHO lists it as 37 to 42 weeks. maybe he was going by the WHO. possibly he was wrong, but from what i read they go from the date of first missed menstrual cycle.

[theoldbat40]

@rns13

I am aware of what the WHO says. But we were talking about the statement "280 days is wrong" vs. "295 is right", right? :) Had he said 266 days, he still could have made the same point, and a good one at that. People look for patterns and reasons and overlook the most basic stuff.

[rns13]

@theoldbat40

well, apparently, i read the same books as tyson, because i find pretty much every source says 280 days from the missed menstrual cycle. so the average time from the last complete menstrual cycle adds about 2 weeks.

if you really care that much e-mail dr tyson and let us know.

[Clarkyguy]

Ok i love this guy but i thought the gestation period was 280 days not 295. Being 295 at an average of 29.5 makes 10 months which feels too long. Am i being a complete idiot with these calculations. I feel i could be missing something

[rns13]

@Clarkyguy

your not being an idiot. he is going from the actual date of conception. the average time of gestation is approximated at 40 AFTER the first missed period. tyson is including the two weeks (on average, the time between the biging and end of menstruation cycles) that the woman would be pregnant and not know it.

[luarionte]

Stand Up Science!!!!!

XD

[VideoMikael]

Hilarious and awesome.

[UserNr001]

Wolves hunt more often near (not just at) full moon because there's more light. In ancient times when people had to travel at night it was easier near & at full moon. More light - easier to see. More travel = more robbery; more light = more wolves & crazy people sighting. So that's how the stories about the effect of full moon were born. Modern people don't seem to notice that some nights are lighter (full moon) & some darker (new moon) thanks to electricity.

[rialcnis]

I find that "Full Moon effect deniers" are themselves, all lunatics.

[Vinny0151]

And where did you come up with that?

[rialcnis]

Scientific Observation. I worked 20 years charting behavior of many patients., (and non-patients) I was there in the trenches observing as objectivly as possible. There is no question. The Full Moon would hit like a ton of bricks. There would be this calmess before the storm. ALWAYS.. There are other cycles that alter the basic cycles.

Deniers would be the first to be effected.

I remember so many Full Moon, with beds of tied up patients with kunacy tension in the air.

[mongolelf]

Niels passionate attempt to dispel misconceptions and erroneous belief, but I thinbk a more earnest , diplomatic style would be less inflammatory. I have never found derogatory polemic effective as a tactic.

[aznxkigga]

settle down, he's obviously trying to make science entertaining and comedic by making fun of stupid people. and tone it down with the thesaurus usage... this is youtube, not an analytical essay.

[mongolelf]

I would say the same to you as I would to him, to try not to be so harsh. Eloquent use of the english language is a sign of intellectual capacity that you seem to value, so I dont understand why you are telling me not to use words that I feel best express my thoughts. In any case, I dont see how calling people stupid is an effective way to educate them. In my experience this tactic tends to make them defensive.

[defstoner18]

stop being such a downer. he's trying to make science entertaining so that the masses might just take interest. its a good thing, my friend.

[mongolelf]

I am sorry, I dont share your view. I dont think that insulting people because they have been mis or disinformed is funny. I dont think that he is making science more interesting.. science needs no help in this regard, and you can find non-offensive ways of making people laugh when presenting theoretical science. Sometimes scientists have gotten into trouble by maintaining biased points of veiw with a show of absolute certainty. Diplomacy is actually a more scientific negotiating posture.

[thegdin]

i did not hear him say anything insulting. i think if dont approve of his methods in this video you should consider the audience he is talking to. tyson is a briliant man who is sensitive to people with diferent ideas about their enviornment. however, it is my opinion that it isnt mandatory that we respect others beliefs. would u respect a grown adults belief that santa delievers toys? i would show this person respect, but i would laugh at that belief.

[AUTOBLOOD]

He's not insulting people by pointing out their miss informed. He's pointing out how humans naturally draw conclusions to things that seem to relate on the surface, but actually have no relation at all. I know it may no seem like that in this clip, but if you watch a bunch of his vids or read his works its more apparent.

[mongolelf]

calling someone "stupid" is not my idea of diplomacy

[rickiex]

i agree, if he just sat there and talked all boring and stuff, i wouldnt be as excited to watch him talk about science lol

[MrKevMan]

My cats do tend to go nuts during a full moon. They run all over the place and are very wild.

[visceralgristle]

It's not the moon. You're just noticeing them going crazy MORE on a full moon (when its not you're probably not paying attention to their behavior as much). The moon doesn't make things act crazy. Cats just tend to do that once in a while.

[MrKevMan]

Actually its because of the extra light and clear atmosphere that they really get off on.

[dp100eboggan]

Scientific stand up comedy... Amazing!

[ReneeNme]

Neil deGrasse Tyson is so funny and logical.

[kevinprov]

Amazing Meeting, eh? I'll tell you what's amazing...the fact that with a room full of scientific geniuses, there was no one who could make sure that the sound was not AMAZINGLY awful. :P

[generaleskimo]

The government is putting fluoride in the water supply...

[Roxinos]

Have you ever seen a Ruskie drink anything but vodka?

[generaleskimo]

YOUR RIGHT! ITS A CONSPIRACY!

And wtf to everyone who is downthumbing my comment? I'm not crazy, its a joke.

[Roxinos]

People just don't get the reference.

[Harvey2face123]

"Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face."

-General Jack D. Ripper from "Dr. Strangelove"

[nonsuchfabio]

Neil is terrific. I hope he has a long career educating the public. He's a great candidate to fill the void left by Carl Sagan.

[SaganAppreciationSoc]

You're not the only one to think that. ;-)

[FlexibleElf]

Absolutely right.

[ReneeNme]

I'd give you fifty thumbs up on that comment if I could nonsuchfabio.

[TheDarkSagan]

@nonsuchfabio I totally Agree

[JoNnYShizzle]

@nonsuchfabio My Father's generation had Carl Sagan. Mine has Neil degrasse Tyson. But I still absolutely adore Carl Sagan.

[duhhh187]

@nonsuchfabio i completely agree Tyson has Sagan's enthusiasm ..

[tpstrat14]

@nonsuchfabio Yea, but just imagine if he would let superstition die instead of resurrecting it in order to fight it. Imagine if he were to take educating people a little more seriously. Take this video, for example. A lot of people don't know the details behind why there are tides. Imagine if you could find a youtube video of Neil DeGrasse Tyson explaining to people how tides work. You can't. All he does is resurrect superstition in order to make fun of it. He is no educator...

[evilyig]

@tpstrat14 Are you serious? Confirmation bias running rampant here, I would posit the vast majority of Tyson's public media is educational and has nothing to do with debunking the supernatural. To make the statement you made based on candid moments with Tyson caught on film is just tunnel vision. All he does? Seriously? Have you never watched his programming on PBS, this critique is unwarranted and ridiculous.

[ttopperr]

@evilyig

Anything supernatural is outside of our mutually shared natural reality and being outside of the natural reality it can not affect anything contained in it. If it was able to affect something with in the natural reality then the supernatural object would not be considered supernatural it would be classified as natural. If something is supernatural it’s not relative to this reality so debunking the supernatural is a "catch twenty-two."

[evilyig]

@ttopperr Um. Yeah, sure. Keep validating your personal intuition, I had no comment at all on the validity of the supernatural. I think it's amusing you have the arrogance to pass off your personal ideas as fact however. The catch 22 is you're creating a paradox just to pretend the world conforms to your desires.

[ttopperr]

@evilyig

It’s not my personal idea but a fact of science if you want to believe in your way of thinking then it is your loss to the facts of reality. Please study more science instead of just making bad assumptions.

[kadene2]

@tpstrat14 What a dour outlook! The man has piqued the interest of so many children in science. I took two 9 year-old skeptics to one of his lectures and they came away fired. Where do you get off declaring he's "no educator" because of his style? What qualifies you to do this?

[Clausfarre]

Me three.

[fallingstarblues]

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO WISHES TO SEE THE FULL UNCUT VIDEO? Please?

I do not see it on the official site and these snippets are superb, yet I want to see the entire, cogent speech that Neil deGrasse Tyson is giving!

If there is a link to the full, uncut video, please let me know!

Love these talks! ^_^

[TurboDally]

I look for the same, if you found what you were looking for let me know please :)

[BadgerRavenmoon]

There are some statistics that show higher crime rates around the full moon, BUT these are also explained away quite effectively by the fact that more light means more people on the streets and more opportunities for the crimes that increase (muggings expecially). As usual, the explanantion is not woowoo but perfectly reasonable if one applies a little brain-power to the subject.

[closedmouth]

I always wondered why people would think the moon has more gravitational force just because we can see more of the light that's shining on it. The moon doesn't get bigger when it's full.

[lehman]

Just to make a note, there is no connection between a full moon and its distance to the earth.

[hairyreasoner]

lehman: EACTLY. The phase of the moon is in no way related to its gravitational effect on us. It's distance varies cyclically, but does not correspond to the cycle of its phases.

[Mahoivlich]

if the tidal force is so low how can it overcome the effects of gravity?....just wondering

[dave28lax]

@Mahoivlich Um, the tidal force IS an effect of gravity, so I'm not sure how it can "overcome the effects of gravity". Tidal forces occur because gravitational forces from one object aren't constant across another object.

You're on the internet - if you're really interested then look it up.

[Mahoivlich]

The tidal force is the centrifugal force plus the gravity of the moon.

None of the pages explain the difference of these forces on the oceans vs small amounts of water.

[dave28lax]

@Mahoivlich The centrifugal force is a fictitious force and has no effect on the tides.

The moon and sun's gravitational fields vary in strength and direction over the earth. Tides are caused by the variation of gravitational forces over the earth (including the earth's own gravitational field). Small body of water = negligible variation in gravitational forces = no tide.

End of physics lesson.

[lovasip]

Yeah.

Skepticism can be fun, too!

[Itslvle]

I can't help but feel I'm watching stand-up comedy. :)

[hatemeproductions]

Same here!

[siciliano29]

Yeah, I'm glad he's funny.. maybe he'll reach more people that way. He's proof that the real truth is usually funnier than fiction. ;)

[TomMSTie]

I've said before Neil should do stand-up.