Starship Asterisk*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Providence wrote:

Reverse of the Great Seal of the United States

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Eye of Horus, son of the chief deity of the ancient Egyptians.

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<<The Eye of Providence, or the all-seeing eye of God, is a symbol showing an eye often surrounded by rays of light or a glory and usually enclosed by a triangle. It is sometimes interpreted as representing the eye of God watching over humankind. It appears in Buddhism, where Buddha is also regularly referred to as the "Eye of the World" throughout Buddhist scriptures (e.g. Mahaparinibbana Sutta) and is represented as a trinity in the shape of a triangle known as the Tiratna, or Triple Gem.

Imagery of an all-seeing eye can be traced back to Egyptian mythology and the Eye of Horus. Horus was the ancient Egyptian sky god who was usually depicted as a falcon. His right eye was associated with the sun Ra. The eye symbol represents the marking around a Peregrine Falcon's eye that includes the "teardrop" marking sometimes found below the eye. The mirror image, or left eye, sometimes represented the moon and the god Djehuti (Thoth).

In Medieval and Renaissance European iconography, the Eye (often with the addition of an enclosing triangle) was an explicit image of the Christian Trinity. Seventeenth-century depictions of the Eye of Providence sometimes show it surrounded by clouds or sun bursts.

In 1782, the Eye of Providence was adopted as part of the symbolism on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. It was first suggested as an element of the Great Seal by the first of three design committees in 1776 and is thought to be the suggestion of the artistic consultant, Pierre Eugene du Simitiere.

On the seal, the Eye is surrounded by the words Annuit Cœptis, meaning "He approves (or has approved)undertakings", and Novus Ordo Seclorum, meaning "New Order of the Ages". The Eye is positioned above an unfinished pyramid with thirteen steps, representing the original thirteen states and the future growth of the country. The lowest level of the pyramid shows the year 1776 in Roman numerals. The combined implication is that the Eye, or God, favors the prosperity of the United States.

Perhaps due to its use in the design of the Great Seal, the Eye has made its way into other American seals and logos, notably the Seal of Colorado and DARPA's Information Awareness Office.

Today, the Eye of Providence is usually associated with Freemasonry. The Eye first appeared as part of the standard iconography of the Freemasons in 1797, with the publication of Thomas Smith Webb's Freemasons Monitor. Here, it represents the all-seeing eye of God and is a reminder that a Mason's thoughts and deeds are always observed by God (who is referred to in Masonry as the Great Architect of the Universe). Typically, the Masonic Eye of Providence has a semi-circular glory below the eye. Sometimes the Eye is enclosed by a triangle.

Popular among conspiracy theorists is the claim that the Eye of Providence shown atop an unfinished pyramid on the Great Seal of the United States indicates the influence of Freemasonry in the founding of the United States. This was dramatized in the 2004 Disney film National Treasure.>>

Céline Richard wrote:I don't understand something : a shadow usually appears on to the ground, or something like that. However, here, it seems the volcano creates a shadow on the atmosphere, is it true? Or above which other "screen" does the shadow appears?

Chris Peterson wrote:Shadows on the atmosphere are common. The Belt of Venus, crepuscular rays, cloud shadows, the Brocken Spectre- all are shadows on the atmosphere.

Céline Richard wrote:Actually, your picture appears so strange :o It looks like a big lightning, or as if the sky was opening :D
Could you explain me what is a "Contrail Shadow", on the picture you attached here, to set an example?

Remo wrote:
On a different note, the following statement in the notes is false:

"Additionally, the Moon has just passed full phase -- were it precisely at full phase it would rise, possibly eclipsed, at the very peak of the shadow."

The moon does not follow the ecliptic. This means that only rarely (~2x per year) would it rise at the "peak of the shadow" Normally, it would be either north or south of this point. However, at full, it would be at the same elevation as the peak of the shadow.

Based on the moon being in the shadow and close to the peak, it looks like it is just 3 or 4 hours past full. (The moon travels about 1 diameter per hour against the background stars), However, the refraction of the atmosphere will make it visible even if close, but below the horizon so that screws up the calculations a little in this case. Of note, if the moon were a little farther north or south, it would be outside of the mountain's shadow. And even though both it and the sun would be visible, it would still be past full in that the observatory is able to look "down" on both.