A Fresh Scientific Approach

This is where a fresh perspective comes into place with the introduction of Astronomical Astrology. It takes into consideration these diverse energies which influence our lives, and how the energies of the universe can program patterns of reactions into our mind and subconscious.

The Sun, Moon and planets within our Solar System have an established and prescribed energy and influence, which is inscribed with positive as well as negative facets. These various ambient energies are continuously influencing the body, mind, Life Force, and emotions of everyone. They are the regulating forces of every little thing which takes place within our material continuance.

An important concept to comprehend is that the Sun, planets and constellations do not directly send you energies of emotions or feelings. Their presence just amplifies energies which you translate to the positive or unfavourable aspects. The ambient energies of the solar system surrounding you, will transmute according to your emotional balance and underlying astronomical pre-programming. You have the ability to regulate your reactions through balancing with such aspects and maintaining your control.

If unfavourable Mars energies can produce aggressiveness, then conversely, the positive energies can develop upliftment and strength. How you react to the energies of Astronomical Astrology are all based upon your physical wellbeing, psychological balance and emotional mindsets. Realise that the energy remains consistent; it is how you process and react to these energies which develops adverse or favourable responses within you.

To know this is to start to understand yourself, and how you can bring more balance and self-control within your life. For an improved comprehension of your emotions, thoughts and reactions, you need to appreciate the influences of the ambient energies of the solar system which are affecting and influencing everyone.

Establishing a Frame of Reference

To help understand the references in astronomy, there are two very important frames of reference. The first, as previously discussed, is that the ecliptic is the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The second frame of reference is the celestial equator, which is an abstract projection of the equator of our planet into outer space Due to Earth’s axial tilt, the celestial equator is currently inclined by the same amount with respect to the plane of Earth’s orbit. If you were to be standing on the Earth’s equator, the celestial equator would form a semicircle passing directly overhead. If you were to move either north or south, the celestial equator tilts towards the opposite horizon. The ecliptic and celestial equator intersect at two points, the equinoxes. When the Sun appears on the celestial equator at the equinoxes, everybody on the Earth experiences the same periods of equal day and night (12 hours each).

No matter where you are on the Earth, you will see only half of the celestial equator’s arc, meaning you can only ever see 180 degrees or half of the full sphere. Since the Earth rotates once every approximately 24 hours, the sky appears to rotate around us on the planet’s surface. For any object which is located on the celestial equator, it will take 12 hours for the object to appear to move from the east to the west horizon. Every celestial object’s diurnal, or daily motion, will occur parallel to the celestial equator, as this is directly related to the rotation of our planet. If you are located in the southern hemisphere, then anything north of the celestial equator will take less than 12 hours between the rise and set of an object. This is because most of the rotation arc of the object is hidden below the horizon. Anything south of the celestial equator will take more than 12 hours between rising and setting because most of its rotation arc is above the horizon. For observers in the northern hemisphere, mechanics are reversed.

The Motion of our Planet

To understand how our view of the cosmos changes, one must first comprehend the motion of the Earth. The Earth had three separate motions occurring at the same time, which cause changes in the sky, giving us day and night and the change of seasons we experience depending on where we are on the surface of our planet.

The first and simplest motion to comprehend is that our planet rotates on its axis approximately once every 24 hours. This rotation on the axis, which is tilted at 23.5 degrees, causes the 24-hour cycle of night and day, which we witness on the surface. The rotation also makes the sun appear to move westward in the sky at around 15 degrees for every hour. The tilt of the rotational axis at 23.5 degrees is also the reason why days and nights are not 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night for all locations.

The second motion, involves the Earth revolving around the Sun at an average distance of 149,600,000 km or 92,960,000 miles. The Earth travels in an anticlockwise direction along a slightly elliptical, or elongated orbit around our star, which lasts 365.256 days. During this time, our planet has travelled a total distance of 940 million km or 584 million miles around the Sun. In this time, we have witnessed both the change of seasons as well as the apparent eastward progression of the Sun against the background of the constellations throughout the year. Indeed, all planets in our Solar System orbit in the same anticlockwise direction and our Sun also rotates on its own axis in the same anticlockwise direction.

The Sun’s trajectory across the sky, as seen on Earth’s surface, changes throughout the year due to the inclination or axial tilt of our planet. For an observer in the southern hemisphere, when the south pole of our planet is angled towards the Sun, the day lasts longer, as well as the Sun appearing higher in the sky overhead. This leads to typically warmer summer temperature levels, as more solar radiation reaches this region of the planet. At the opposite time of year, when the South Pole is slanted away from the Sun, the reverse holds true and the winter weather conditions are generally cooler when the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun.

South of the Antarctic Circle and north of the Arctic Circle (two imaginary lines drawn around the Earth’s surface 23.5 degrees from the poles) experience an extreme case of this effect. Due to the heights in latitude, as you move closer to the poles, there will be no daylight whatsoever for part of the year, often termed the polar night. Conversely, at the opposite time of year at these latitudes, one can experience constant daylight. This variation in the climate due to the combination of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun and the tilt of the axis of rotation of our planet results in the seasons.

Our Sun appears to drift eastward with respect to the stars over a year. This drift eastward is caused by the motion of the Earth around the Sun in its orbit, which lasts 365.256 days. The presence of the fractional day per year is the very reason why every four years we have a leap year, which has an extra day added to the traditional calendar.

As previously discussed, the apparent yearly path of the Sun through the stars and constellations is called the ecliptic. This path appears to oscillate up and down with respect to the celestial equator due to the tilt of the Earth relative to its orbital plane. It is always worthwhile to keep distinct in your mind the difference between the slow movement of the Sun along the ecliptic during the year, versus the fast motion of the rising and setting Sun caused due to the rotation of our planet.

In addition to the motions associated with the rotation of the planet on its axis and the Earth revolving around the sun, the third motion is the long term cyclic wobbling in the orientation of Earth’s axis of rotation. The rate of wobble is extremely slow, taking 25,772 years for a full precession to occur. However, it is still important to understand as it has a long term impact on the apparent position of the Sun, Moon and planets against the backdrop of the stars and constellations.