For my current work in progress, the phases of the moon at Luxor, Egypt, in the autumn of 1962 are a moderately significant plot factor. I could have ignored facts and written the moon to suit my plot, but that didn’t feel right. For sure, once the book is published, someone will point out the inconvenient facts. So — research required. Thanks to the Internet, I found this:
Moon Phases for Luxor, Egypt in 1962
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cool, eh?
Dates of moon phases for almost anywhere in any year may be found here.
Yet another example of obscure info needed by writers. How did we ever manage before the Internet? Libraries, librarians, and reference books — remember them?
Image courtesy of Pixabay.
Audrey Driscoll's Blog 
Very cool. Yeah, I don’t know what authors did before the internet! Took longer to research, I guess. Back in 2003 I contracted with Penguin to write a biography of one of NZ’s more controversial colonial figures, expecting to spend many hours in the archives going through his papers. For various reasons the book was put off until 2012… by which time his papers had been put online in searchable form, which meant I was able to go through them in a fraction of the usual time, without the hassle of ordering up the folios in batches. And all from the comfort of my own home…
LikeLiked by 1 person
No more hunting around in dusty libraries and archives. Although libraries do still provide useful services and welcoming environments.
LikeLike
Yes, it is amazing what can be found on the internet. Lots of police procedural material if you’re into that. You can also get listings of the top 100 names by decade.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And scientific stuff too — anaesthetics, nuclear power, geology. Those name listings by decade would be great for selecting character names, especially if you’re writing historical fiction.
LikeLike
The interwebz and Google street view – a writer’s best friends! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right! Google maps and street view helped me find my way around Providence, RI and the Valley of the Kings near Luxor.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did the same thing for a project I was working on, but set in the 23rd century. I guess the tables assume the moon will still be there for the foreseeable future! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let’s hope! Unless it decides to find a better planet to hang out with.
LikeLike