The Moon Affects the Solar Wind

From Images 108

This is a view of the moon transiting, or passing in front of, the Sun as seen from the STEREO-B spacecraft on Feb. 25, 2007. The Sun is in false color, and the moon appears as a black disk on the upper right. NASA's STEREO mission consists of two spacecraft launched in October, 2006 to study solar storms. Credit: NASA

From a NASA press release:
"With the Moon as the most prominent object in the night sky and a major source of an invisible pull that creates ocean tides, many ancient cultures thought it could also affect our health or state of mind– the word “lunacy” has its origin in this belief. Now, a powerful combination of spacecraft and computer simulations is revealing that the moon does indeed have a far-reaching, invisible influence– not on us, but on the Sun, or more specifically, the solar wind.

The solar wind is a thin stream of electrically conducting gas called plasma that’s constantly blown off the surface of the Sun in all directions at around a million miles per hour. When a particularly fast, dense or turbulent solar wind strikes Earth’s magnetic field, it can generate magnetic and radiation storms that are capable of disrupting satellites, power grids, and communication systems. The magnetic “bubble” surrounding Earth also pushes back on the solar wind, creating a bow shock tens of thousands of miles across over the day side of Earth where the solar wind slams into the magnetic field and abruptly slows from supersonic to subsonic speed.

Unlike Earth, the Moon is not surrounded by a global magnetic field. “It was thought that the solar wind crashes into the lunar surface without any warning or ‘push back’ on the solar wind,” says Dr. Andrew Poppe of the University of California, Berkeley. Recently, however, an international fleet of lunar-orbiting spacecraft has detected signs of the Moon’s presence “upstream” in the solar wind. “We’ve seen electron beams and ion fountains over the Moon’s day side,” says Dr. Jasper Halekas, also of the University of California, Berkeley."
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Saturn

From Images 108

Known for its bright ring system and many moons, gas giant Saturn looks strange and unfamiliar in this false-color view from the Cassini spacecraft. In fact, in this Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) mosaic the famous rings are almost invisible, seen edge-on cutting across picture center. The most striking contrast in the image is along the terminator or boundary between night and day. To the right (day side) blue-green hues are visible sunlight reflected from Saturn's cloud tops. But on the left (night side) in the absence of sunlight, the lantern-like glow of infrared radiation from the planet's warm interior silhouettes features at Saturn's deeper cloud levels. The infrared glow also shines from the broad shadows of Saturn's rings sweeping across the planet's upper hemisphere. (APOD)

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Astrologically, Saturn finally stations-direct on June 25 after going retrograde Feb. 7. When it changes direction in late June, Saturn will be 22.46 Libra and in 16th harmonic (22.30 degree aspect) to the powerful Aries point. Planets 'on' the Aries point have a greater impact on world affairs. Saturn of checks and balances is transiting Libra the Scales until Oct. 5. Generally speaking, a retrograde planet stationary-direct is like a sick person that is just starting to get well. As Saturn relates to our long-term goals and ambitions, we can finally begin to move forward, slowly but surely. Many relationships (Libra) have undergone redefinition and restructuring (Saturn) since Oct. 29, 2009, when Saturn first entered the sign of Libra.

In Greek mythology, Chronos (Saturn) is said to to be the Personification of Time.

Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius

The June 4 partial lunar eclipse in Sagittarius (3rd SuperMoon of 2012) belongs to Saros series 140 that began Sept. 25, 1597 with it's first eclipse on the Moon's North or Ascending Node- a point of intake where we draw people and things into our lives.

The current eclipse at 14 Sagittarius squares fiesty Mars, and conjoins both the heliocentric Nodes of Uranus (14 Gemini-Sagittarius), and the mysterious Great Attractor. The Nodes of Uranus embody the archetypal energy of Uranus, which is Promethean in nature- brilliant, progressive, but also radical, rebellious, and revolutionary. While the Great Attractor, Abell 3627, is a higher source of energy-information that's so powerful it bends light, as it draws the Milky Way and other local galaxies toward it. "It's demonstrably more like a quasar than black hole," says Philip Sedgwick, the Arizona-based Centaur astrologer and one of the few people who has researched the psychodynamics of the Great Attractor.

"It doesn't appear to be punching a hole into another dimension, but rather, it allows us to see around things." In other words, its massive gravitational force bends spacetime so profoundly that we can get a view around the back of the universe. "It allows you to see around the bend. It clears the way. It's almost as if you're moving around behind something.

"Nobody knows what it is, or why everything is drawing to it. This thing is prodigious. It's the largest thing that I know of, that they [astronomers] know of. They can't really see anything out there. So what is it? We don't know. The point itself retreats from us, but everything is following it, in hot pursuit."

The Sabian symbol for 14 Sagittarius, where we find both the South Node of Uranus, and the degree of the Great Attractor is, "The Pyramids and the Sphinx". The pyramids and sphinx are iconic symbols of ancient Egyptian culture rich in mystical, metaphysical wisdom gleaned over centuries.

The June 4 eclipse takes place just before Venus makes her rare transit of the Sun's disk (16 Gemini). And coincidentally- Neptune is stationary-retrograde at 3 Pisces near the royal star Fomalhaut (the Fishes Mouth) on June 4. Thus the aspiring energy of Sagittarius is joined with the inspiration (or fogginess) of Neptune. Jupiter, lord of the eclipse, is approaching the Pleiades and the May 20 eclipse degree.

From Mundane Charts

A 90 degree dial shows the Sun-180-Moon eclipse axis 'on' the transiting Mercury/Node (midpoint) which pertains to an active, positive exchange of ideas, and heartfelt communication. As Mercury is now dignified (in Gemini), and out of bounds by declination- the pace of thought, communication, and information processing is amplified, as innovative thinking outside the bounds of convention is trending. The mercurial sign of the Twins is further emphasized by the rare Venus Transit shortly after the eclipse. In truth, it's hard to separate out these events, and it may be better to consider the lunar eclipse as highlighting the retrograde Venus in it's visible passage over the face of the Sun. Core values regarding love, relationships, and money, are up for more profound re-examination then perhaps ever before. This process should not be underestimated, as the choices we make in life are directly linked with our values. And the global economic crisis has many people already questioning what's really important.

Natally, any planet or angle at 14 Sagittarius or 14 Gemini is receiving activation from the lunar eclipse. The house where the eclipse falls shows the area of life affected, but the nature of this activation is determined by the condition of the planet being stimulated, per usual. A lunar eclipse is a powerful full moon, portending peak times when energy and emotions that have been building since the new moon (May 20 solar eclipse) are released- and we have an opportunity to see instinctive patterns more clearly.

We all deserve to be happy whatever the external circumstances. And if we truly know that the world is reflection of our consciousness, we will think and act accordingly, thereby furthering the happiness of all beings.

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Lunar eclipse: Americas before sunrise, Asia after sunset June 4

Everything you need to know about the Venus Transit June 5/6

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May 31 update:
Mundanely, the horoscope for Vatican City is receiving direct hits from the June 4 lunar eclipse and the June 6 Venus Transit. The "Vatileaks" scandal has revealed, among other issues, the infighting behind the sacking of the Vatican bank president. The pope's own butler has been arrested on suspicion of stealing documents that have since been leaked to the media.

Astrologers say celestial charts favor Obama over Romney

NEWS ORLEANS (Reuters)- "The votes are in and it is unanimous: Barack Obama will win re-election to the U.S. presidency in November, according to five astrologers who offered predictions at their convention on Tuesday. Each of the five astrologers on the presidential panel explained how they came to their assessments, with most relying on studies of celestial charts pertinent to both Obama and presumed Republican nominee Mitt Romney for the date of either the election itself or the next presidential inauguration.

For Chicago astrologist and corporate lawyer Nina Gryphon, it was her study of the Aries ingress- the exact time when the Sun enters the sign of Aries- that clinched the decision. "It's obvious," she said. "Obama stays where he is without a change in status."

Billed as a meeting of the world's top astrologers, the conference in New Orleans drew some 1,500 people who participated in workshops and panel discussions.

Not to be confused with astronomy, the scientific study of the physical universe, astrology uses non-scientific methods to predict how the relative positions of celestial bodies may influence human behavior and future events.

Denver astrologer Chris Brennan said his chart study focused on public profiles of the two presidential candidates, both of whom "are entering into peak periods of eminence in the next few months." But he said there was a key difference: "Obama's peak period stays consistent throughout the election, whereas Romney's seems to falter a few weeks before the election," he said.

Most of the panelists placed a high degree of certainty on their forecast, but a few pointed to potential difficulties Obama may face after his predicted re-election.

"The ingress of Saturn into Scorpio may trouble him," Brennan said. "It won't cost him the election, but it may indicate difficulties in the first half of his second term."

Brennan could not specify the potential problem, but "it pertains to his career and his reputation," he said. As to the election itself, Brennan raised the possibility of the contested 2000 election being revisited.

"We should all be aware of the Mercury retrograde that will occur on election day," he said, referring to an optical illusion that can make a planet appear to reverse direction temporarily.

"Most astrologers are pretty certain that this could cause problems similar to what happened in the 2000 election," Brennan said, referring to the contested Florida vote that was settled only when the Supreme Court ruled that George W. Bush should be president rather than Al Gore.

The retrograde, Brennan said, "seems to imply that there's something up in the air about the election until sometime later in the month."

"It's possible it won't be finished for Romney until the last week of November," he said.

Two of the panelists participated in a similar session four years ago when the panel also gave a unanimous thumbs-up to Obama."

6 Astrologers Predict US Election Outcome

A panel of six well-regarded astrological forecasters, emceed by financial astrologer Raymond Merriman, will discuss their most valued methods of making election forecasts. They will then reveal who these methods suggest will be the next President of the United States. This is a presentation you will not want to miss- especially since the last UAC Presidential panel all forecasted the election of Barack Obama (100%) nearly six months prior to the election! Can they do it again?
May 29, 2012- 2:30 pm US Central Time-> Live video stream

All 6 of the esteemed astrologers on this panel forecast an Obama win.

New earthquake in northern Italy

From BBC News:
"A new earthquake has struck the Emilia region in northern Italy, killing at least 15 people and leaving several others trapped under rubble.

Tuesday's tremor, estimated at magnitude 5.8, hit the same region where a quake 10 days ago killed seven people and destroyed many buildings. Buildings damaged by the first quake have now collapsed in Mirandola, Finale Emilia, San Felice and Cavezzo, Italian media report. Milan and Bologna were shaken too.

The quake struck 40km (25mi) north of Bologna and 60km east of Parma, at a depth of 9.6km (six miles). It was felt as far away as Venice and the Austrian border.

Many people ran out of buildings when they felt the tremor, which struck at 09:03 local time (07:03 GMT)."

This deadly quake would seem to confirm the national horoscope for Italy (June 10, 1946) mentioned in previous posts, with Neptune now transiting the natal 4th house cusp (weather & earthquakes), that was triggered by the May 20 solar eclipse. Retrograde Venus is partile conjunct Italy's natal North Node of fateful events. (Venus is debilitated when retrograde, and the Moon's Nodes are eclipse points.)

From Mundane Charts

The chart for today's quake features Uranus on the Midheaven square Pluto- while the quake 10 days ago had Pluto on the Midheaven square Uranus. This epic square reflects sudden shocks and upheavals, of various kinds. (And there are 7 exact Uranus-Pluto squares from June 24, 2012 to Mar. 17, 2015.) The ruler of the event Ascendant (25 Cancer) is Luna, that's tightly conjunct violent Mars- Moon = 13.58 Virgo = Mars 13.40 Virgo. And Saturn (23 Libra) squaring the earthquake Ascendant is also stressful.

From Mundane Charts

Contemplating the Sun

From Images 108

Have you contemplated your home star recently? Pictured above, a Sun partially eclipsed on the top left by the Moon is also seen eclipsed by earthlings contemplating the eclipse below. The above menagerie of silhouettes was taken from the Glenn Canyon National Recreational Area near Page, Arizona, USA, where park rangers and astronomers expounded on the unusual event to interested gatherers. Also faintly visible on the Sun's disk, just to the lower right of the dark Moon's disk, is a group of sunspots. Although exciting, some consider this event a warm-up act for next week's chance to comtemplate the Sun -- a much more rare partial eclipse by the planet Venus. (Image credit: Steven Gilbert)

Astrology Quotes by Carl Jung

We are born at a given moment in a given place and like vintage years of wine we have the qualities of the year and of the season in which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything else. - C.G.Jung

Astrology is one of the intuitive methods like the I Ching, geomantics, and other divinatory procedures. It is based upon the synchronicity principle, i.e. meaningful coincidence. ... Astrology is a naively projected psychology in which the different attitudes and temperaments of man are represented as gods and identified with planets and zodiacal constellations. - C.G. Jung

The starry vault of heaven is in truth the open book of cosmic projection, in which are reflected the mythologems, i.e., the archetypes. In this vision astrology and alchemy, the two classical functionaries of the psychology of the collective unconscious, join hands. - C.G. Jung
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Jesus' Crucifixion Date Possibly Friday April 3, 33 A.D., According To Earthquake Study

"A new study suggests that the Biblical date of Jesus' crucifixion is, in fact, possible to confirm.

The International Geology Review investigated an earthquake that was said to have occurred the same date as Jesus' crucifixion; which was most likely Friday April 3, 33 A.D.

In Gospel of of Matthew, Chapter 27 says: “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.”

According to Discovery News, geologist Jefferson Williams of Supersonic Geophysical and colleagues Markus Schwab and Achim Brauer of the German Research Center for Geosciences, analyzed earthquake activity in the area by studying three cores from the Ein Gedi Spa beach.

The research confirmed that two major earthquakes have hit the area specified, one during the period between 26 BCE and 36 CE, and could be the one referred to in the Gospel of Matthew.

However, the earthquake data alone doesn't fully confirm the date. Williams, Schwab, and Brauer admit that the earthquake implied in the gospel could be allegorical, referring to the earthquake that occurred sometime before or after the crucifixion.

This earthquake would have been powerful enough to break apart the sediments of Ein Gedi but not enough to have warranted "a still extant and extra-biblical historical record."

“If the last possibility is true, this would mean that the report of an earthquake in the Gospel of Matthew is a type of allegory,” they write in the International Geology Review.

Further research is being done by Williams and his team who are now analyzing the report of darkness from noon to 3pm after the crucifixion. Three of the four canonical gospels confirm that darkness pervaded during those three hours which could allude to a dust storm, according to Williams.

As reported by Discovery News, Williams is investigating if dust storm deposits coincide with the early first century Jerusalem region earthquake." The Huffington Post

I don't think it was visible in the Holy Land, but there was a partial lunar eclipse on Friday April 3, 33 A.D.
Eclipse Map

Did Latest Solar Eclipse Stall Facebook IPO?

From ANS- Astrology News Service:

Stock Market Newsletter Editor Says Corporate Projects Initiated Before A Solar Eclipse Tend Not to Live Up to Expectations

"If you are looking for still another reason why Facebook IPO fell flat on its first trading day last Friday astrologer Grace Morris has a suggestion.

“Solar eclipses tend to move the market in new directions. But companies or projects started or initiated before an eclipse – especially a solar eclipse – are greatly handicapped and will probably not live up to expectations,” she said.

The Facebook stock opened at 11:30 a.m. on Friday May 18 and only managed to break slightly better than even on opening day, a bad omen for IPOs.

On Monday, the first trading day after the partial solar eclipse on Sunday, May 20, the price of Facebook’s stock dropped 11 percent by the close of the day.

Following an eclipse, Morris says the market tends to reverse itself and the trend is in the opposite direction. After 12 down days, the market was poised for a projected turnaround that was expected to push prices generally higher until the next lunar eclipse on June 4.

But it’s no sure thing that Facebook (FB) will be along for the ride, she said.

Morris has worked with clients for more than 20 years setting up successful incorporation dates, IPOs, and first trade dates. She writes and publishes two newsletters, The Right Time and The Astro Economics Stock Market Newsletter, which recommends stocks by sectors according to their favorable cycles.

A new cycle beginning in June will favor transportation, education, communication, media, telecommunication, travel and pharmaceuticals. She expects stocks in these sectors to generally outperform the market in the next year.

Morris’ record has included COOG, up 266 percent since 11/04; BIDU, up 938 percent since 6/07; NTES, up 140 percent since 4/09; CERN, up 189 percent since 5/09; EBIX, up 133 percent since 6/09; PCLN, up 405 percent since 9/09; MELI, up 206 percent since 9/09; SXCL, up 323 percent since 10/9; VRX, up 273 percent since 12/09; RAX, up 253 percent since 12/09; AAPL, up 209 percent since 1/10; LULU, up 436 percent since 1/10; FFIV, up 119 percent since 4/10; ALXN, up 25 percent since 7/10; and SWI, up 135 percent since 9/11.

In the first FB trade chart a favorable Sun/Jupiter conjunction is dominantly placed and the Facebook IPO did in fact get lots of action and attention on opening day.

But the stock may have accountability problems because Mars and Neptune are aligned in a stressful 180 degree opposition aspect, made more challenging because timing for the opening trade angularly placed the aspect where its effect will be more intense.

Other stressful aspects suggest the company may spend too much based on unrealistically high expectations for cash inflow. Or, as some analysts have suggested with hindsight, the IPO’s asking price may have been too high with too many shares hitting the market at the same time."

This is a no-brainer. You never pull the trigger in the shadow of an eclipse, unless you have no choice in the matter.

Stellar Events - Mercury in Gemini

Shortly before Sunday's solar eclipse the Sun entered the sign of Gemini the Twins, and will conjoin retrograde Venus at 16 Gemini on June 5/6. The messenger planet Mercury- ruler or lord of Gemini, enters it's home territory May 24 at 11:13 am (GMT). Therefore the pace of mental activity, communication, and social interaction will tend to speed up, as connections are made more easily. Our thoughts about past or future relationships are frequent and changeable.

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Quote of the Day: "All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience." ~Goethe

See the Moon with Venus Tonight

Last time in 2012: Moon and Venus very close evening May 22

"On May 22, 2012, for North America and most of the world, the moon swings closest to the planet Venus for this month. The moon will still be in the vicinity of Venus after sunset on May 23, but not as close as tonight. With Venus about to drop into the sun’s glare, tonight is the final curtain call for these two brightest nighttime objects – the last time you’ll see the moon and Venus appear so close in the evening sky for the rest of 2012. Enjoy!

Note the soft glow of earthshine on the dark side of the the waxing crescent moon tonight. Earthshine is light reflected from Earth’s day side, onto the moon’s night side."
Read More-> EarthSky

After Solar Eclipse, June's Venus Transit of Sun Is Next Amazing Sky Sight

"Sunday's "ring of fire" solar eclipse may be history, but skywatchers have another stunning event to look forward to — next month's historic Venus transit of the sun.

On Sunday (May 20), the moon covered most of the sun's disk but left a ring of light blazing around its circumference. The resulting annular solar eclipse wowed skywatchers in parts of Asia, the Pacific region and western North America.

As impressive as that sight was, it may just be a warm-up for the Venus transit of the sun on June 5 (June 6 in much of the Eastern Hemisphere). Venus will cross the sun's face from Earth's perspective, appearing in silhouette as a tiny, slow-moving black dot.

The dramatic celestial event will be visible from all seven continents, and it's a must-see for skywatchers; Venus won't trek across the solar disk again for 105 years." [Venus Transit of 2004: 51 Amazing Photos]
Read More-> SPACE.com

A Partial Solar Eclipse over Texas

From Images 108

It was a typical Texas sunset except that most of the Sun was missing. The location of the missing piece of the Sun was not a mystery -- it was behind the Moon. Sunday night's partial eclipse of the Sun by the Moon turned into one of the best photographed astronomical events in history. Gallery after online gallery is posting just one amazing eclipse image after another. Pictured above is possibly one of the more interesting posted images -- a partially eclipsed Sun setting in a reddened sky behind brush and a windmill. The image was taken Sunday night from about 20 miles west of Sundown, Texas, USA, just after the ring of fire effect was broken by the Moon moving away from the center of the Sun. Coming early next month is an astronomical event that holds promise to be even more photographed -- the last partial eclipse of the Sun by Venus until the year 2117. (APOD)

Suicide Attack in Yemen

"More than 90 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack at a military parade rehearsal in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, defence ministry officials say.

The bomber, who was reportedly wearing an army uniform, blew himself up among a group of soldiers at al-Sabin Square, near the presidential palace. An al-Qaeda source told the BBC one of its members had carried out the attack.

It was the deadliest incident in the capital since President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi took power in February."
Read More-> BBC News

The solar eclipse chart at Yemen's capital of Sanaa, looks similar to the one for yesterday's earthquake in Italy. Here, Pluto (extreme events- upheavals) is exactly (to the degree and minute!) conjunct the Midheaven, and square Uranus (sudden, often radical events) on the eclipse Ascendant. Eclipse Midheaven = 9 Capricorn = Pluto 9 Capricorn = Uranus 7 Aries = Ascendant 12 Aries. This is a dramatic example of how an eclipse can focus the major planetary aspects.

From Mundane Charts

According to the BBC article, Yemen is now a central front for the war on terror and Al Qaeda. This eclipse chart would seem to confirm that.

Dancing Eclipses

The school across from my house has trees in front, and this image is of the eclipse coming through the tree leaves. There were many people out in the streets here in SF watching the eclipse and chatting- the Gemini energy was palpable.

From Images 108

6.0 Earthquake in Italy

"An earthquake in northern Italy has killed at least six people and caused serious damage to buildings in several towns, local officials say.

The magnitude-6.0 quake struck in the middle of the night, about 35km (22 miles) north of the city of Bologna.

The tremor caused "significant damage to the cultural heritage" of Emilia Romagna region, the government said.

Later on Sunday, a magnitude-5.1 aftershock hit the region, causing more buildings to collapse.

The aftershock destroyed a clock tower and made a firefighter fall from a wall in the town of Finale Emilia, near the epicentre of the first tremor.

Sunday's quake was the worst to hit the country since the L'Aquila tremor killed nearly 300 people in central Italy in 2009."
Read More->BBC News

The earthquake chart has Pluto right on the Midheaven square Uranus: Midheaven 9.24 Capricorn = Pluto 9.11 Capricorn = Uranus 7.23 Aries. Uranus-Pluto is sudden upheavals, and 'building on the ruins of the old.' (Ebertin)

From Mundane Charts 2

The 1946 national horoscope for Italy is receiving activation from today's eclipse, which is tightly square the natal Midheaven- and Neptune is now transiting the earthquake-sensitive 4th house cusp. In ancient times, Neptune was considered the god or lord of earthquakes.

From Mundane Charts 2

The eclipse chart for Rome, Italy has the MC-IC axis conjunct the powerful stars Antares-Aldebaran, and the Lunar Nodes- square the red planet Mars. This eclipse belongs to Saros 128 which began with it's first event Aug. 29, 984. The eclipse Ascendant in Rome, Italy was 24.17 Libra. Saturn is 23.45 Libra now! Today's solar eclipse Ascendant in Rome is 23.12 Aquarius, and the Moon's North Node on Aug. 29, 984 was 23.45 Aquarius!

M6.0- 4km ENE of Camposanto,Italy

Eclipse over Manila Bay

From Images 108

What's happened to the setting Sun? An eclipse! In early 2009, the Moon eclipsed part of the Sun as visible from parts of Africa, Australia, and Asia. In particular the above image, taken from the Mall of Asia seawall, caught a partially eclipsed Sun setting over Manila Bay in the Philippines. Piers are visible in silhouette in the foreground. Eclipse chasers and well placed sky enthusiasts captured many other interesting and artistic images of the year's only annular solar eclipse, including movies, eclipse shadow arrays, and rings of fire. Today parts of the Sun again will become briefly blocked by the Moon, again visible to some as a partial eclipse of a setting Sun. A small swath of Earth, however, will be exposed to the unusual ring of fire effect when the Moon is completely surrounded by the glowing light of the slightly larger Sun. (APOD)

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Getting Ready for the Annular Solar Eclipse

The Saros Cycle

The solar eclipse of May 20-21, 2012 is part of a cycle – called the Saros cycle – that repeats about every 18 years and 10 days.

By Fred Espenak

Every solar eclipse tends to repeat itself in an 18-year-10-day cycle (or 18-year-11-day depending on the number of intervening leap years) called the Saros. I say “tends to repeat” because the cycle isn’t perfect and only lasts 12 or 13 centuries. Although two eclipses separated by one Saros cycle (18 years and 10 or 11 days) are very similar to each other, they are not exact.
Read More-> EarthSky

The Metonic Cycle and the Saros

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@StellarInsights

Cheers.

Andromeda Galaxy

From Images 108

A mere 2.5 million light-years away, the Andromeda Galaxy really is just next door as large galaxies go. So close, and spanning some 260,000 light-years, it took 11 different image fields from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite's telescope to produce this gorgeous portrait of the spiral galaxy in ultraviolet light. While its spiral arms stand out in visible light images of Andromeda (also known as M31), the arms look more like rings in the GALEX ultraviolet view, dominated by hot, young, massive stars. As sites of intense star formation, the rings have been interpreted as evidence Andromeda collided with its smaller neighboring elliptical galaxy M32 more than 200 million years ago. The large Andromeda galaxy and our own Milky Way are the dominant members of the local galaxy group. (APOD)

Annular Solar Eclipse

From Images 108

May 20 Annular Solar Eclipse

The May 20 annular solar eclipse belongs to a family of eclipses known as Saros series 128, that began with it's first event Aug. 29, 984. The core theme of this particular Saros according to astrologer Bernadette Brady is, "long periods of hard work rewarded; an obsessive idea is finally accepted and leads to success; new ideas and methodologies bring breakthroughs."

All the solar eclipses of Saros 128 occur at the Moon's Descending Node, South Node, or Dragon's Tail. The Dragon's Head, or North Node of the Moon, is where we draw new people and experiences to us. It has a magnetic quality. Whereas the Dragon's Tail is a point of outtake and release. It pertains to material loss but possible spiritual gain. Generally speaking, the fateful Nodes of the Moon are eclipse points, as the Sun and Moon must be near this axis for an eclipse to occur.

The solar eclipse on May 20 falls on the Dragon's Tail, so we may be called to release something from our life to prepare the ground for whatever new this eclipse is seeding. Eclipses are crisis-points that foreshadow major, irrevocable endings and beginnings. The eclipse in mutable Gemini square Neptune, suggests very fluid conditions, and heightened inspiration- or vague uncertainty. Its meaning might not be clear right away. The Sabian symbol for this eclipse (1 Gemini) appears relevant to it's interpretation, "A glass-bottomed boat reveals undersea wonders; the revelation of unconscious energies and submerged psychic structures." As eclipses repeat at the same degree every 19 years (Metonic cycle), this one echo's back to the eclipse of May 21, 1993 at 0.31 Gemini. Mundanely speaking, world leaders are gathering in Chicago for an important diplomatic NATO summit on May 20-21, 2012. The solar eclipse Ascendant in Chicago = 15 Scorpio, a powerful cross-quarter day (Samhain) in 8th harmonic (-45-) with the Aries point, aka world point.

From Mundane Charts

The eclipse at 0 Gemini conjoins the Pleiades star cluster, aka the Seven Sisters. The Pleiades holds a special place in the star lore of many cultures, and the Mayan's believe they originally came from the Pleiades. Alcyone, Eta Tauri, the 'Weeping Star', is the central star of the group, with the nature of Mars and the Moon. Thus, Alcyone signifies an active but forceful aspect of the divine-sacred feminine. (Brady says that Alcyone is mystical but judgemental. While Diana K Rosenberg relates Alcyone to 'leadership, ambition, optimism, intense sexuality; "something to weep about"; tears, blindness, and banishment'.) New age astrologers refer to the Pleiades as a star-gate, cosmic portal, or nodal point between the galactic and super-galactic realms.

The solar eclipse path begins in southern China, passes through Japan, and ends in the Western US, but will be partly visible over a broader region. It's visibility in northern California(currently under financial duress) suggests it may have a direct influence here. But if an earthquake (or other natural disaster) were to occur in California this year, I think it will happen in late November- based on activation of the 2012 Aries ingress by the Nov. 28 eclipse and transiting Saturn (Aries ingress Ascendant at Sacramento and SF = 6 Scorpio).

The Aug. 15, 1947 national horoscope for India Independence is taking a direct hit from the May 21 solar eclipse. The Ascendant for this national chart is 0.53 Gemini = solar eclipse 0.20 Gemini. And the eclipse Ascendant in New Delhi = 26.18 Taurus = the malefic star Algol at 26 Taurus. This would seem to presage some kind of affliction or disaster, even though the eclipse seems relatively benign. However, there's another viable chart for the establishment of India as a republic on Jan. 26, 1950. So which horoscope is the most accurate, is yet to be clearly determined- in my mind anyway.

From Asia & Mideast

Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse Coming Sunday

Herschel's Cygnus X

Click to enlarge

From Images 108

The Herschel Space Observatory's infrared view of Cygnus X spans some 6x2 degrees across one of the closest, massive star forming regions in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, the rich stellar nursery already holds the massive star cluster known as the Cygnus OB2 association. But those stars are more evident by the region cleared by their energetic winds and radiation near the bottom center of this field, and are not detected by Herschel instruments operating at long infrared wavelengths. Herschel does reveal the region's complex filaments of cool gas and dust that lead to dense locations where new massive stars are forming. Cygnus X lies some 4500 light-years away toward the heart of the northern constellation of the Swan. At that distance this picture would be almost 500 light-years wide. (APOD)

Solar eclipse Sunday, Transit of Venus: Rare events coming to Bay Area skies

From MercuryNews.com:

Northern California — farther north than the Bay Area — will be a prime viewing zone for the annular solar eclipse on May 20. When the moon passes between the Earth and the sun in late afternoon, it will blot out all but a glowing ring, the annulus.

Among cities in the "path of annularity," about 185 miles wide, are Eureka, Redding and Reno. Maximum eclipse will last about four minutes around 6:30 p.m. The Bay Area will experience a partial eclipse with more than 90 percent of the sun obscured. This crescent-sun phenomenon will be visible in other parts of the western United States as well. It will be the first annular eclipse visible from the continental United States since May 1994.

The eclipse is the front half of an astronomical double-header: On June 5, part of the Transit of Venus will be visible in the United States. In that event — rarer than the annular eclipse — the planet Venus will cross in front of the sun, visible to the unaided eye. (Skygazers are warned to use proper viewing devices for both events, as looking at the sun can cause permanent eye damage.)

In the Bay Area, the transit will start a few minutes after 3 p.m., with Venus appearing as a dot at the top edge of the sun. It will continue on a path across the right side of the sun. The sun will set before the transit is completed.

The best viewing, the full transit, will be from the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Venus transits occur in pairs eight years apart; the 2004 transit was not visible in the western United States because it occurred after sunset. The previous pair was in 1874 and 1882, and the next will be in 2117 and 2125.

From Mundane Charts 2

World eclipse maps for this event can be viewed here: Hermit Eclipse

Astrology Podcasts

Astrology Podcasts

Enjoy.

Sunday's Quote

Moon in Pisces, and Sun conjunct Jupiter...ruler of Pisces.

Physically, the heart is an organ that keeps us alive through a coordinated network of cells beating together. Spiritually, the heart is the center of love, the force that makes our lives worthwhile. Globally, the heart is a symbol of a new organizing principle for how to live together on this finite jewel of a planet.
~Anodea Judith

Earliest Mayan Astronomical Calendar Unearthed in Guatemala Ruins

"An excavation of an archaeological site in Guatemala has uncovered Mayan astronomical records dating to the ninth century A.D. The tabulated numbers, which predate existing Mayan astronomical documents by several hundred years, chart the motion of the moon and also seem to relate to the orbits of Mars and Venus. (And good news: they do not predict the world will end this year—in fact, some of the numbers appear to refer to dates far in the future.)

Archaeologists stumbled onto the astronomical tables, inscribed on the walls of a small building, while excavating part of the Xultun ruins, a large, heavily looted archaeological site in northern Guatemala, near its borders with Mexico and Belize. William Saturno, an archaeologist at Boston University (B.U.), recalls that an undergraduate student noticed the remains of a mural on one of the walls, triggering an excavation of the room, which had been partly exposed by looters. On three of the walls the researchers found figural paintings, along with a series of glyphs and numerals.

The presence of lunar glyphs in one of the numerical tables raised the possibility that the table related to astronomy. After all, evidence from later centuries has proved that the Maya kept highly accurate records of astronomical phenomena. But the context of the numerals, many of which have deteriorated beyond recognition, was not immediately clear. "It took some decoding," Saturno says.
Read More-> Scientific American

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Quote of the Day: There is nothing new under the sun, but there are lots of old things we don't know. ~Ambrose Bierce

Canary Skies 2012

El Cielo de Canarias 2012 / The Light of Stars

What's moving? Time lapse videos of the sky can be quite spectacular when they last long enough for stars, planets, aurora, and clouds to appear to move in just a few seconds. Pictured above, however, astrovideographer Daniel López not only treats us to several inspiring time lapse videos of the night sky, but shows us how he used sliders and motorized cranes to move the imaging cameras themselves, creating a thrilling three-dimensional sense of depth. The video sequences were taken from Tenerife on the Canary Islands of Spain over the past two months, and show scenes including sunset shadows approaching Observatorio de Tiede, the Milky Way shifting as the sky rotates, bright planets Venus and trailing Jupiter setting, a reddened Moon rising through differing layers of atmospheric refraction, the MAGIC gamma-ray telescopes slewing to observe a new source, and unusual foreground objects including conic Echium wildpretii plants, unusual rock formations, and a spider moving about its web. The video concludes by showing the Belt of Venus descending on Mt. Teide as the morning sun rises. (APOD)
El Cielo de Canarias-> Vimeo

Sunday's Quote

If your everyday practice is open to all your emotions, to all the people you meet, to all the situations you encounter, without closing down, trusting that you can do that - then that will take you are far as you can go. And then you'll understand all the teachings that anyone has ever taught. ~Pema Chodron

Space weather expert has ominous forecast

Mike Hapgood, who studies solar events, says the world isn't prepared for a truly damaging storm. And one could happen soon.

By Amina Khan, Los Angeles Time - May 4, 2012
"A stream of highly charged particles from the sun is headed straight toward Earth, threatening to plunge cities around the world into darkness and bring the global economy screeching to a halt.

This isn't the premise of the latest doomsday thriller. Massive solar storms have happened before — and another one is likely to occur soon, according to Mike Hapgood, a space weather scientist at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford, England.

Much of the planet's electronic equipment, as well as orbiting satellites, have been built to withstand these periodic geomagnetic storms. But the world is still not prepared for a truly damaging solar storm, Hapgood argues in a recent commentary published in the journal Nature.

Hapgood talked with The Times about the potential effects of such a storm and how the world should prepare for it."
Read More-> Los Angeles Times

Full Moon Rising

From Images 108

Rising as the Sun sets, tonight's Full Moon could be hard to miss. Remarkably, its exact full phase (May 6 03:36 UT) will occur less than two minutes after it reaches perigee, the closest point to Earth in the Moon's orbit, making it the largest Full Moon of 2012. The Full Perigee Moon will appear to be some 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a Full Moon near apogee, the most distant point in the elliptical lunar orbit. In comparison, though, it will appear less than 1 percent larger and almost as bright as April's Full Moon, captured in this telephoto image rising over suburban Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. For that lunation, Full Moon and perigee were about 21 hours apart. Of course, if you manage to miss May's Full Perigee Moon, make a note on your calendar. Your next chance to see a Full Moon close to perigee, will be next year on June 23. (Image: Robert Arn)

The Ancient Egyptians and Algol Beta Persei

How the Ancient Egyptians understood the 'Demon Star' 3,200 years ago - and their calculations have helped solve a modern dilemma

"Startling evidence suggests the ancient Egyptians understood the inner mechanics of a binary star system, spinning through our skies 93 light years away, more than 3,200 years ago.

Not only that, their specific calculations have helped support a scientific line of inquiry which only emerged just a few years ago.

The binary system - two stars which rotate around each other - was first noted in modern astronomy by a John Goodricke, back in 1783.

He spotted how Algol - also known as the Demon Star - appeared to decrease in brightness for a few hours every 2.87 days, and was the first to theorise that this was two stars blocking each other's light in relation to Earth.

Or we thought he was the first - it turns out the Egyptians apparently had this all figured 3,000 years earlier."
Read More-> MailOnline

Fermi Epicycles: The Vela Pulsar's Path

From Images 108

Exploring the cosmos at extreme energies, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope orbits planet Earth every 95 minutes. By design, it rocks to the north and then to the south on alternate orbits in order to survey the sky with its Large Area Telescope (LAT). The spacecraft also rolls so that solar panels are kept pointed at the Sun for power, and the axis of its orbit precesses like a top, making a complete rotation once every 54 days. As a result of these multiple cycles the paths of gamma-ray sources trace out complex patterns from the spacecraft's perspective, like this mesmerising plot of the path of the Vela Pulsar. Centered on the LAT instrument's field of view, the plot spans 180 degrees and follows Vela's position from August 2008 through August 2010. The concentration near the center shows that Vela was in the sensitive region of the LAT field during much of that period. Born in the death explosion of a massive star within our Milky Way galaxy, the Vela Pulsar is a neutron star spinning 11 times a second, seen as the brightest persistent source in the gamma-ray sky. (APOD)

Munch's Iconic Scream Sells for $120m

"Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch's The Scream has become the most expensive art work sold at auction as it went in New York for $119.9m (£74m). The 1895 pastel was bought at Sotheby's in New York City. Bidding began at some $50m, and lasted for just 12 minutes.

Seven bidders were competing for the work, but the contest eventually boiled down to two phone-bidders, one of whom prevailed. The crowd applauded after the sale.

The previous record for an artwork sold at auction was for Picasso's Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust, which sold for $106.5m in 2010."
BBC News

This is a good example of how a horoscope remains active after the person it belongs to has long passed. Edvard Munch was born in Norway on Dec. 12, 1863, time unknown. His Sun in Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter located at 16-17 degrees of Scorpio. And the May 5-6, 2012 SuperMoon falls at 16 Scorpio, thus activating Munch's natal Jupiter.

From Mundane Charts

Of course, Jupiter (king of the Olympian gods) represents the principle of expansive growth, and relates to the experience of success, honor, abundance, happiness, and good fortune. But negatively it's connected with the tendency toward excess, inflation, extravagance, overconcern with wealth and status. I think we can see both sides of the Jupiterean archetype informing this larger-than-life event.

On May 4, Venus, natural significator of art, beauty, and money, is at greatest declination North (27.82 degrees) in her 8 year cycle. This means that Venus is tending to extremes now, as noted in an earlier post- Venus Out of Bounds.

Thrilling Week for Modern Art

Perigee "Super Moon" on May 5-6

From NASA Science:

"May 2, 2012: The full Moon has a reputation for trouble. It raises high tides, it makes dogs howl, it wakes you up in the middle of the night with beams of moonlight stealing through drapes. If a moonbeam wakes you up on the night of May 5th, 2012, you might want to get out of bed and take a look. This May’s full Moon is a "super Moon,” as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons of 2012.

The scientific term for the phenomenon is "perigee moon." Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. The Moon follows an elliptical path around Earth with one side ("perigee") about 50,000 km closer than the other ("apogee"). Full Moons that occur on the perigee side of the Moon's orbit seem extra big and bright.

Such is the case on May 5th at 11:34 pm Eastern Daylight Time1 when the Moon reaches perigee. Only one minute later, the Moon will line up with Earth and the sun to become brilliantly full. The timing is almost perfect."
Read More-> NASA Science/Science News