Previous abstract Next abstract

Session 4 -- Public Outreach

Display presentation, Monday, 9, 1995, 9:20am - 6:30pm

[4.02] Nativity and the Moon: Do birthrates depend on the phase of the Moon?

There is a widespread conception in the general public that there are more births at full moon than at other times. Past studies of the relation of births to the phase of the Moon have shown only weak correlations largely masked by statistical noise and the known weekly and seasonal variations.

We are studying the largest data set available, 50 million live births in the United States, to search for correlations between birth rates and the Moon's synodic period. This study will significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio, allowing any correlations to be more clearly revealed. We will present results obtained to date.

Monday program listing