Astronomy For Astrologers

Aquarius Astronomically Speaking It is one thing to read about the stars, planets and constellations, but it is another experience entirely to stand in dark, look up at the night sky and be able to locate and name them. Doing this gives us a sense of ourselves as part of the solar system and defines our location and place in …

Capricorn Astronomically Speaking It is inconspicuous, looks like a stealth bomber, has twenty-eight stars, doesn’t resemble a goat at all, can’t be located without identifying other star groups, and is positioned below the celestial equator! No wonder Capricorn is called the most mysterious constellation, astrologically. Capricorn can be found in the August and September evening sky. It sits between two …

Sagittarius Astronomically Speaking The constellation Sagittarius is said to resemble a Centaur (half man, half horse) holding a drawn bow and arrow. One of its legends is that Chiron created the constellation Sagittarius to help guide Jason and the Argonauts as they sailed on his ship, the Argo. Within Sagittarius is a group of stars that look like a teapot, …

Scorpio Astronomically Speaking Scorpio, a lengthy star group in the night sky, looks like a question mark lying on its back. The largest of the twelve constellations with very bright stars, Scorpio is only partially visible, which is appropriate, since Scorpio is known for its hidden realities. Libra and Scorpio used to be one large constellation, but now they are …

Libra Astronomically Speaking Libra, the smallest constellation in the sky, can be seen in relation to Scorpio in the east and Virgo in the west. Originally part of Virgo and Scorpio (the claws) when the two were united, Libra’s present shape is that of a trapezoid of four stars forming the scales. The two stars on each side of the …

Virgo Astronomically Speaking The pictorial representation of Virgo is a maiden bearing in one hand a sheaf of wheat and holding in the other a glorious jewel, the beautiful blue-white star Spica, a star of the first magnitude. This star’s spiritual radiations were recognized by many of the ancients. They built temples dedicated to Spica’s heavenly light where they could …

The Constellation of Leo The constellation Leo looks like an Egyptian sphinx in the night sky, couched down and cooling itself by the Nile river. Leo’s regal head is just under the cup of the Big Dipper. At the heart of Leo is the star Regulus, 84 light years from Earth. At dusk look above Venus to catch sight of …

The Constellation of Cancer Faintest of all of the twelve constellations in the zodiac, Cancer is composed of six simple stars, suspended between Gemini to the west and Leo to the east. On a clear, moonless night, far away from city lights, the crab (also called scarab or tortoise) is not too difficult to locate due to the two yellow …

Gemini in the Sky with Diamonds The constellation Gemini, also called the Twins Castor and Pollux, is one of the few constellations that looks like what it represents — if we learn how to connect the dots (see diagram). The two bright stars marking the head bear the names of the twins, Castor and Pollux. These two very closely placed …

Taurus Astronomically Speaking The constellation Taurus the Bull (Golden Calf in the Bible) lies northwest of the belt of Orion (see star map) and is in the shape of a V with horns long and extended. It is one of the most prominent northern constellations and contains two of the largest star clusters, Pleiades and Hyades, which can be seen …

Aries Astronomically Speaking Aries is the first constellation of the zodiac and the harbinger of spring. This year, the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox occurs on March 20th as the Sun appears to move northward across the Earth’s equator, bringing Spring to the northern hemisphere. Aries represents a magical ram whose golden fleece was sought by Jason and the Argonauts of …

Few astronomical phenomenon are as impressive as an eclipse. Whether it be a total eclipse of the Sun, with the turning of day into night, and the filmy, iridescent corona surrounding a black disk where, moments before, the fiery brightness was blinding, or a total eclipse of the Moon, when its usually silvery disk turns blood-red, eclipses have awed man …

The Moon is the only natural satellite of our Earth. Consequently, it is the only planet which has Earth as the center of its orbit. This makes it the only true planet which never retrogrades (the Sun never retrogrades either, but, although astrologers refer to it as a “planet” for convenience, it really isn’t a planet, but rather a star …

Retrogradation is a phenomenon caused by the fact that we live on a planet which is not at the center of the solar system. If one were to view the solar system from the surface of the Sun, which is at the center, one would never see planets retrograde. However, since that isn’t where we’re viewing things from, we do …

The Ecliptic System and the Zodiac The term ecliptic is mentioned often in astrology. It describes the centerline of that which we call the Zodiac, which extends some eight degrees above and below the ecliptic. In other words, the Zodiac is a belt 16° wide centered on the ecliptic. But what defines the ecliptic? Simply put, the ecliptic is the …