Crime by the Moon

8/14/2019 Crime by the Moon

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Crime by the Moon Introduction

The impact of the Sun and Moon and

the times in which they influence the

amount of natural light, can have a

significant impact on rural crimes.

Various groups of criminals have vastly

different Modus Operandi in executing

their criminal plans.

By comparing recorded incidents with

the historic data pertaining to the

natural light conditions of the day, a

possible link can be established and

trends may emerge. These tendencies

can then be scrutinized to predict the

re-occurrence of such an event.

The limitations of such an analysis are

that the weather conditions, which may

have affected the conditions during a

criminal event, could have played a role

in the planning of such. As an example,

a cloudy or rainy day may have

completely obscured the Sun or Moon

and the available light may not have

played a role at all. Similarly, a payday,

a weekend or a public holiday may have

been the only incentive that played a

significant role in the planned execution

of crimes.


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Images: Courtesy of NASAWritten by: Alex Volker

The times of the rise and set of both the

Sun and the Moon varies according to

its location, as result of the curvature of

the Earth. The twilight periods may also

provide some additional lighting even inthe absence of the Moon or Sun.

By using enough data to analyze

statistics, and keeping the above light

independent variables in mind,

propensity to natural light driven

occurrences may emerge.

The Moon and Crime

It is in the nature of criminals to seek a

means of covertly escaping detection in

order to perpetrate their nefarious

deeds. To do this, they must find a way

to operate with the least amount of risk

to themselves to avoid being detected

and thereafter make a clean getaway.


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The cover of night is often the most

convenient and least risky time to

commit crime. During daylight hours,

with visibility being high and normally

having many witnesses around, thechances are higher of being caught.

The challenges faced when sneaking

around at night are, amongst others,

also visibility. In especially a rural

setting, with the lack of artificial light,

which could easily draw attention to a

person; it is difficult to navigate to the

scene of the crime and thereafter escape before any wrongdoing has

been noticed.

Society has become so dependant on

electricity, that it is difficult to imagine

life without these creature comforts.

Less privileged people, most notably in

rural settings, live mostly in the absenceof artificial light. These groups have

learnt to know and understand how the

Moon provides light in the absence of

Sunlight and how the different phases of

the Moon illuminate the otherwise dark

sky at night.

Among these communities, criminalstake advantage of such knowledge to

orchestrate and plan a strategy. In

doing so, they can cover great

distances on foot to their destinations,

without much of a chance of being


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noticed. They can also meet up with a

getaway vehicle a fair distance from the

scene of the crime to make their

escape.

In knowing the phases of the Moon and

the times it rises and sets, due vigilance

can be applied in the periods of high

risk. This information can also be

applied to establish the set trends for

crime syndicates or groups and possibly

find a link as an investigative aid.

The Moon Definitions and Basic

Information

As the Earth rotates along its axis each

day all celestial bodies, most noticeably

the Sun and the Moon, appear to rise in

the East and set in the West. Sunrise

and Sunset occurs when the upper

edge of the Sun is on the Horizon, in a

location which is largely level and

atmospheric conditions are assumed to

be average. The horizon is the furthest

point one can see where the land meets

the sky, pending no visual barrier

obscuring ones view.

The Earths surface appears to be flat,

but the curvature of the Earth, which is

essentially a sphere, limits the line of

sight regardless of position on the


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globe. Similarly with Moonrise and

Moonset, yet Moonrise and Set can

occur at any time in a 24 hour period

and at a specific location may not occur

at all, on any given day i.e. The Moonmay rise late in the day and only set

again the following day. Also Moonset

may precede Moonrise or the other way

around. Any predictive times of the

above are relative to the longitudinal

and latitudinal co-ordinates of the

location in question.

The time it takes for the moon to rotate

around its own axis once is the same as

the time it takes to orbit around Earth,

therefore we only see one side of the

moon. As a result the far side of the

moon is never visible from earth. The

Moons size is considerably smaller

than that of the Sun, but because of itsproximity compared to that of the Sun, it

appears to be almost the same size.

This creates the possibility of a full lunar

eclipse.

Twilight is defined as the time before

Sunrise or after Sunset where the influence of the Sun still illuminates the atmosphere

resulting in the partial visibility of terrestrial objects, despite the fact that the Sun is belowthe Horizon. This period soon subsides into complete darkness, where The Sun has no

impact at all on natural light at night. The Twilight periods can be sub-divided into three

stages. Civil Twilight is the period directly before Sunrise or after Sunset, objects are still

visible and normal activity in the absence of artificial light is still possible. During Nautical

Twilight the outline of objects are still perceivable, but normal activity without artificial


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light is no longer possible. Astronomical Twilight is almost completely dark and the

impact of the sun on the natural light is minimal

Quick Definitions

Term Explanation

Astronomical Twilight Rise The Sun rises to18 degrees below the Horizon

Nautical Twilight Rise The Sun rises to12 degrees below the Horizon

Civil Twilight Rise The Sun rises to 6 degrees below the Horizon

Sunrise The upper edge of the Sun rises to the Horizon

Sunset The upper edge of the Sun sets to the Horizon

Civil Twilight Set The Sun sets to 6 degrees below the Horizon

Nautical Twilight Set The Sun sets to 12 degrees below the Horizon

Astronomical Twilight Set The Sun sets to 18 degrees below the Horizon

Moonrise The upper edge of the Moon rises to the Horizon

Moonset The upper edge of the Moon sets to the Horizon


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Phases of the Moon

It takes approximately 27.5 days for the moon to orbit

around the earth once.

Crescent is smaller than Quarter

Gibbous is larger than Quarter

There are four primary Moon Phases, New Moon, First

Quarter, Last Quarter and Full Moon.

New Moon occurs when the moon is closest to the Sun

and between the Sun and Earth.

Full Moon occurs when the Earth is between the Sun and

the Moon. In most parts of the world Moonset will coincide

with Sunrise and Moonrise with Sunset.

First and Last Quarters are when the Moon, Earth and Sun

are at a right angle.

The Illumination of the Moon depends on the relevant

phase, at Full Moon the Illumination is 100%, New Moon

0% and First and Last Quarters at 50%. The Intermediary

Phases increase in percentage when waxing or decrease

when waning. Therefore, the Crescent Phases are

between 0% and 50% and the Gibbous Phases are

between 50% and 100%.

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Crime by the Moon