Preliminary Report on a Lunar Latitude Fluctuation.

Naval Observatory (USNO) during the past few months, using Watts' limb corrections from "The Marginal Zone of the Moon," indicate a surprisingly large fluctuation in the moon's latitude, with an amplitude of about half a second of ar~. A large correctiois to the longitude of the moon S ascending node (approximately +5 sec of arc) is implied. It is shown that systematic effects of limb irregularities may account for the failure of previous investigators to detect this term. Evidence from USXO meridian circle observations, and from the occultation results of Her Majesty's Xautical Almanac Office, is also presented.