Astronomy

• January 4, 2025Astronomy

  Ambient

  That which moves. A term loosely applied to the heavens. Milton speaks of the ambient air; Pope of ambient clouds. Ptolemy used it to describe the tenth sphere that by its compelling force moved all other spheres with it from the East across the heavens. Since Copernicus exploded this concept, the modern astrologer is free to apply this excellent term to the Earth's surrounding magnetic field as varyingly charged by virtue of the cycles of the planets, the Sunspot cycle, and other cosmic phenomena.

• January 4, 2025Astronomy

  Altitude

  Elevation above the horizon, measured by the arc of a vertical circle. A planet is at meridian altitude when it is at the Midheaven, the cusp of the Tenth House.

• January 4, 2025Astronomy

  Almanac

  A book or table containing a calendar of days, weeks and months, to which are added astronomical or other data. Its use dates back at least to the Alexandrian Greeks. The Roman almanac was the fasti - days on which business could be transacted. The earliest of which we have concise record is that of Solomon Jarchus, 1150 A.D.. Purbach published one from 1450-6. His pupil Regiomontanus issues the first printed almanac in 1475. The most outstanding almanac maker of the Middle Ages was Nostradamus. All English almanacs were prophetic until the year 1828; and until 1834 the stamp duty was 1s.3d. per copy. The first almanac in the U.S. was issued in 1639 by William Pierce. It was exceeded in popularity by Poor Richard's Almanac (1732-57) issued by Benjamin Franklin. Watkins Almanac, issued since 1868, has an annual circulation of upward of two million copies. The chief Astrological Almanacs of the present epoch are 'Raphael's', first published in 1820, and 'Zadkiel's', first published in 1830. All governments now issue an Ephemeris and a Nautical almanac. See 'Ephemeris'.

• January 4, 2025Astronomy

  Albedo

  Literally, whiteness. A measure of the reflecting power of a planet, in ration to its absorptive capacity; expressed in a figure which represents the amount of light reflected from an unpolished surface in proportion to the total amount of light falling upon it. The albedo of the Moon and Mercury is 7; Venus 59; Earth 44; and Mars 15. Thus, the changeable character manifested by Moon and Mercury is seen to be connected in some way with their low reflective capacity. An entirely different set of Lunar characteristics comes of the fact that as the Moon approaches an opposition to the Sun its surface temperature rises some 70-odd degrees above boiling point, and in consequence it emits a wide band of infra-red frequencies that are several times more powerful than any of the rays it reflects from the Sun. During the first few minutes of a Lunar eclipse, the surface temperature falls to a sub-zero level and the infra-red emanation ceases. The dimly-lit surface of the Moon at the Lunation is due to light reflected back from the Earth, which with its high albedo would appear to the Moon-dweller as four times larger and many times brighter than the Moon as seen from Earth. There are some indications that Jupiter emits a ray of its own in addition to its reflected ray, but astrophysicists are not as yet in accord on that point.

• January 4, 2025Astronomy, Progression

  Ages, Astrological

  As anciently considered, a period of roughly 2150 years during which the point of the Spring Equinox recedes through one sign of the Zodiac of Constellations. Since the constellations have no precise boundaries, the points of beginning and ending are mere approximations. However, it is an absurdity to date the beginning of the precessional cycle, of presumably 25,800 years, from the particular time in history when it was decided no longer to treat the Equinox as a moving point, but instead to freeze it at 0º Aries. It is probably that midway between the Equinoctial points are the Earth's Nodes, where the plane of its orbit intersects that of the Sun, at an inclination of approx. 50º; but since the Equinoctial Point is now considered as a fixed point and the motion takes place only within its frame of reference, it appears that a study of the circle which the celestial pole describes around the pole of the Ecliptic will be required in order to determine when it passes an East point, to mark the time of beginning of the first of twelve astrological ages of 2150 years each, into which the precessional cycle is subdivided. On this manner of reckoning the Earth might now be in the Capricorn Age, as well as any other. At least there is no justification for us to consider mankind as now in the Aquarian age, even though a recent astronomical treatise speaks of the Signs of the Zodiac as 'now precessed some 25º west of the constellations of the same name'. Historical records show the Equinox as having once began in Taurus, at which time Taurus was considered to be the first Sign of the Zodiac. See 'Precession'.

• January 4, 2025Astronomy

  Advantage, Line of

  A term sometimes used with reference to the position of the Moon's Ascending Node in a Geocentric Figure. The line of advantage runs between the cusps of the third decanates of the Third and Ninth Houses. A position of the Node East of this line is judged to be favorable. Related to it are the Arcs of Increased and Dwarfed Stature. From the middle of the First House, clockwise to the middle of the Eighth House, is the arc of Increased Stature, with its peak at cusp of the Twelfth House; and from the middle of the Seventh House, clockwise to the middle of the Second House, is the Arc of Dwarfed Stature, with its peak at the cusp of the Sixth House. See Nodes, Moon's.

• January 4, 2025Astronomy

  Acronycal place

  The degree the planet will occupy when it is in opposition to the Sun.