There are three reasons why you should consider eclipse prediction. First off, it plays a significant role in the development of science. Second, it demonstrates how cycles can be used to analyze phenomena that appear to be complex. Third, making an eclipse forecast will make you mentally active and compel you to visualize the sun, moon, and Earth as movable things in space.
Eclipses can be predicted by being aware of the circumstances that lead to them. Make sure you are conscious of your perspective when you start to consider these circumstances. Window on Science 3-1 (See.) Later, you’ll alter your perspective, but for now, picture yourself standing in your Earthly home and looking up into the sky to see the sun traveling down the ecliptic and the moon moving along its orbit.
The moon’s orbit is inclined 58’43.” “You may observe that the moon travels along a path that is inclined by that angle to the ecliptic. The moon crosses the ecliptic at two locations known as nodes every month. It crosses at one node moving south, then at the opposite node moving north, two weeks later.
Only when the sun is close to one of the moon’s orbital nodes can eclipses take place. If the moon moves in front of the sun at new moon, a solar eclipse will take place. The majority of new moons pass the sun either too far south or too far north to result in an eclipse. The moon can only cross in front of the sun as depicted in Figure 3-12a when the sun is close to a node in the moon’s orbit. Because most full moons pass too far north or too far south of the ecliptic and avoid Earth’s shadow, a lunar eclipse does not occur every full moon. The sun must be close to the other node in order for the moon to enter Earth’s shadow when the shadow is near one of the moon’s orbital nodes. Figure 3-12b depicts this.
A solar eclipse occurs when the sun crosses a node, while a lunar eclipse occurs when the moon crosses either the same node or a different node (lunar eclipse). Naturally, this means that only a new moon can cause a solar eclipse, and only a full moon can cause a lunar eclipse.
You now understand how to anticipate eclipses. Only when the sun is near a node in the moon’s orbit, a period known as an eclipse season, can an eclipse take place. An eclipse season for solar eclipses lasts for around 32 days. A solar eclipse will occur during any new moon that occurs during this time. The eclipse season is only roughly 22 days long for lunar eclipses. Any full moon that occurs during this time will be overshadowed by Earth’s shadow.
As a result, eclipse prediction is simple. Keep track of the location where the moon crosses the ecliptic (where the nodes of its orbit are). You can anticipate a solar eclipse when the sun is close to one of these nodes and a lunar eclipse when the sun is close to the other. This method functions reasonably well, and it may have been utilized by early astronomers like the Maya. With your knowledge of eclipse seasons, you could be a very successful ancient Mayan astronomer, but if you adopt a different perspective, you could achieve even greater success.
Change your perspective and picture yourself observing the Earth and moon’s orbits from a distant location in space. A small disk pointed at an angle to the bigger disk of the Earth’s orbit would represent the moon’s orbit. The moon’s orbit is fixed in direction while Earth revolves around the sun. An eclipse season happens each time the line connecting these nodes, the line of nodes, points toward the sun. The nodes of the moon’s orbit are the locations where it passes through the plane of Earth’s orbit. Examine Figure 3-13 and note that the example at lower left does not have the line of nodes pointing at the sun, making eclipses impossible. The line of nodes at lower right is pointed at the sun, and the shadows result in eclipses.
As may be seen in the lower portion of Figure 3-13, the shadows of the Earth and moon appear extraordinarily long and thin when viewed from space. They frequently miss the new moon or the full moon and fail to cause an eclipse. The long, thin shadows only result in eclipses during the eclipse season, which is when the line of nodes is oriented toward the sun.
The moon’s orbit would appear to precess like a hubcap spinning on the ground if you were to observe it from space for years. The line of nodes rotates once every 18.6 years as a result of the precession, which is primarily brought on by the gravitational pull of the sun. People on Earth observe the nodes moving 19.4 degrees westward along the ecliptic per year, and the sun returns to a node in just 346.62 days (an eclipse year). As a result, the eclipse seasons start on the calendar around 19 days earlier each year (Figure 3-14).
Figure 3-14’s depiction of the eclipse cycle should provide you with yet another tip on how to forecast eclipses. If you were an early astronomer and understood the pattern governing eclipses, you could forecast them without ever understanding what the moon was or how an orbit functions. You only need to understand the cycle.
The eclipse seasons allowed ancient astronomers to make rough eclipse predictions, but they could have been far more precise had they understood that eclipses follow specific patterns. The Saros cycle is the most crucial of these (sometimes referred to simply as the saros). The pattern of eclipses repeats again after one saros cycle, which lasts 18 years 111/3 days. In actuality, the Greek term saros, which means “repetition.
Because the moon and the nodes of its orbit return to the identical location with regard to the sun after one saros cycle, the eclipses reoccur. A saros has a day count of 6585.321, or 223 lunar months. As a result, after one saros cycle, the moon has returned to the phase it was in at the start of the cycle. However, 19 years of eclipse are also equal to one saros. The sun has returned to its initial position with respect to the nodes of the moon’s orbit after one saros cycle. If an eclipse happens on a specific day, it will happen again 18 years 111/3 days later when the sun, the moon, and the nodes of the moon’s orbit are approximately in the same relationship.
Despite almost perfect repetition, the eclipse cannot be seen from the same location on Earth. A third of a day longer than 18 years, 11 days, is the saros cycle. When the eclipse occurs once more, Earth will have turned a third of a turn more east, and the eclipse will take place halfway around Earth’s west side (Figure 3-15). This indicates that the same eclipse happens in the same region of Earth every three saros cycles, or every 54 years and one month.
The Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus (about 640546 BC), who is said to have learnt of the saros cycle from the Chaldeans who had discovered it, is one of the most well-known eclipse predictions. Although the exact eclipse Thales predicted is unknown, some researchers believe it to have been the one on May 28, 585 BC. The eclipse happened during the most intense fighting between the Lydians and the Medes, and the two sides were so astonished by the enigmatic blackness in the middle of the day that they agreed to a truce.
Many historians seriously question if Thales was actually able to foretell the eclipse. Since total solar eclipses can only occasionally be witnessed from one location, it would have been very challenging to compile enough information about previous eclipses. A total solar eclipse only occurs once in 360 years if you stay in one city. In addition, 585 BC is a fairly early date for Greek knowledge of the saros cycle. Not that Thales did it, but the fact that he was capable of doing it, is what matters. He could have learned that solar eclipses tend to occur every 54 years and one month if he had records of previous ones that were visible from the location (three saros cycles). In fact, he didn’t even need to know what the sun and moon were or how they moved to have anticipated the eclipse.
In This Article...
What does an astrological eclipse mean?
According to astrology, it represents a significant improvement in how we see duality, contradiction, and the unknowable. Before you start, here are some astronomy basics: Where the courses of the sun and moon converge in our sky is at the lunar nodes. An eclipse happens when the sun and moon both strike a node at the same time.
What lunar eclipse occurs before my birth?
When we examine the recorded history of astrology, eclipses are consistently seen as a potent method of forecasting. They were viewed as pivotal moments when significant changes could occur. The personal conscious process of the individual is given greater weight in modern astrology, but we may still benefit from the ancient understanding of eclipses as a valuable rule of thumb.
The final solar and lunar eclipses (if there were any following the solar eclipse) before childbirth are known as prenatal eclipses. Before we were born, it might have occurred a week or a few months earlier (eclipses occur roughly every six months). The first thing we want to know when analyzing a prenatal eclipse is what it implies for the individual, as their soul’s quest to advance in this lifetime, and as a karmic turning point. It resembles a subtle non-physical body that contains the recordings of the soul.
Next, we must determine whether transits and progressions will activate the prenatal eclipse’s degree and its ruler. The Metonic cycles of that eclipse, which are cycles of eclipses that repeat every 19 years at roughly the same degree and same date, are also significant to consider. Throughout our lives, the Metonic cycle may recur anywhere between 2 and 5 times. For instance, the Metonic cycle of the most recent Solar Eclipse at 28 Leo on August 21, 2017, will happen on August 21, 2036, 19 years from now. Prenatal eclipse Metonic cycle returns and eclipses in general can have a very broad affect, sometimes lasting longer than a year.
As a karmic or fated event, the Metonic cycle return can have a tremendous impact on a person’s life. It can trigger fated occurrences that can alter the person’s life when combined with other transits and progressions that take place throughout a Metonic cycle. It also indicates that we’ve reached a point in time when a change in consciousness is possible, but what sets this period apart from others that have seen profound revelations and transformations is the likelihood that this transition will emphasize our evolutionary path and karma.
Even while the prenatal eclipse is sometimes regarded to as a fated point in the chart, this does not guarantee that when it is transited, it will result in a catastrophe. In addition to positively altering our life, destined occurrences can also bring happiness and fulfillment and aid in our progress. We are aware that not everything is within our power and that fated circumstances occasionally force us to step outside of our comfort zone. Even though we might feel overburdened when it happens, the circumstances can change or improve our lives in unexpected ways. We can gain a greater grasp of the evolutionary work that needs to be done in this life by taking a closer look at these times through the lens of the prenatal eclipse.
The entire piece was created for the Career Astrologer Magazine of the OPA. It may be found at THIS LINK.
What transpires in the case of a birth during an eclipse?
You may be wondering what it signifies if your baby is born during a solar eclipse if you believe in karma and astrology and you’re ready to give birth. You’ll be happy to know that many astrologers concur that children born during solar eclipses are sprinkled with a little extra pixie dust and are destined for greatness, despite the numerous discredited beliefs to the contrary.
According to Karen McCoy, karmic astrologer and author of Spiritual Astrology, “the sign of the solar eclipse implies a “global” destiny” on Inner Self. “The Earth at that particular time has to actively express the energy of the collective unconscious for its own balance. This energy has been “dussted” upon the souls that are born into each solar eclipse, and they have vowed to disseminate it over the globe to aid in its development.”
People who are born during solar eclipses are essentially chosen to help others understand the energy of the eclipse, according to McCoy. McCoy pointed out that everyone still has free will, therefore the only choice is whether the recipient of this gift from the cosmos will utilize it for good or evil.
A North Node eclipse is what?
Similar to this, the Moon is north of the node if the Sun is after the ascending node or before the descending node. Depending on whether the Moon is North or South of the node at the time of the eclipse, an eclipse is said to be North of the node or South of the node.
How reliable are eclipse forecasts?
The timings of eclipse can be calculated mathematically. Simple math will tell you when an eclipse begins, reaches its maximum, and finishes at a point of your choice. All you need to do is account for elements like the size of the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon as well as their movements in respect to one another. But only just. There are various elements that prevent precision from being perfect. They consist of:
- Our estimations are based on sea level for each area and do not take elevation into account. This indicates that the Moon’s shadow will be a little bit closer to the Sun than what is seen on our eclipse map if you are not at sea level. The shadow’s true position will be a little bit more east, for instance, if the Sun is visible in the eastern sky. The difference is greater the higher you are above sea level and the lower the Sun is above the horizon.
- The Moon and the Earth are both slightly compressed; none is perfectly round. There is a limit to how precisely one can pinpoint their precise shapes. This implies that any eclipse prediction is only an approximation based on the numbers used.
- The Moon has valleys and mountains, and therefore its shadow has a ragged edge. Predictions of solar eclipses typically ignore this aspect. Totality may remain a little bit longer for you if you chance to be standing in the shadow of a lunar mountain at the beginning or end of a total solar eclipse.
- The timing of a solar eclipse is further distorted by Earth’s mountains and valleys. The extent of the Moon’s shadow at sea level is the basis for our computations. The Sun looks entirely eclipsed in its umbra, the area of the shadow, which is cone-shaped. Therefore, the greater the shadow and the longer the totality lasts for you, the higher above sea level you are.
- The Earth and Moon move in irregular patterns. The Moon completes a full orbit around Earth in relation to the Sun in approximately 29.530575 days, and the Earth revolves around the Sun in approximately 365.24219 days. However, it is impossible to predict the exact speeds of these objects on a daily basis because a variety of factors can either accelerate or decelerate motion. This implies that a day on Earth rarely lasts exactly 24 hours and that the Moon’s shadow may move slightly more quickly or slowly than anticipated during a solar eclipse.
- The exact size of the Sun is unknown. Even NASA couldn’t give you an exact estimate of our star’s diameter! Since the size of the Moon’s shadow also depends on the size of the Sun, a solar eclipse’s timing can be affected by a few seconds with a margin of error of only approximately 0.03 percent.
- As a result of the Earth’s atmosphere partially blocking sunlight, the border of our planet’s shadow is quite fuzy. This makes it challenging to pinpoint the exact instant the shadow first reaches the lunar surface, signaling the start of the eclipse, during partial or complete lunar eclipses.
How were eclipses predicted by the Mayans?
comparative literature and art Allen Christenson, a professor, talked on how Maya observed, analyzed, and responded to eclipse phenomena.
Utah’s PROVO (Nov. 10, 2017)
A Catholic church in the Maya city of Man, located in what is now the Yucatan area of Mexico, was the site of the burning of more than forty Maya literature on July 12, 1562, by the Spanish Bishop Diego de Landa. According to a quote from him, “We found several volumes… and, as they contained nothing in which were not to be considered as superstition and lies of the devil, we burnt them all, which regretted to an extraordinary degree, and which caused them considerable anguish.” The records of a civilization written in the first and only fully phonetic language system in the Americas, as well as pages of meticulous, accurate records of astronomical events, including the motions of the planets and eclipse seasonsan essential component of their religious practicewere being burned by Bishop de Landa, who was unaware of what he was doing.
There are currently just four Maya codices left, each of which is named after the city where it is stored. The portions written earlier are written on deerskin covered in gesso, a substance like cement, whereas the portions written after the Spanish invasion of Mesoamerica are written on paper. The symbol for an eclipse was repeated frequently in the tables, which took up a large portion of the pages that were devoted to astronomical information. Professor of comparative arts and letters and authority on Mayan culture Allen Christenson noted that while the Maya were unable to predict the precise day of an eclipse, they were able to forecast eclipse seasons by keeping track of the time Venus came above the horizon immediately before sunrise. They closely followed the planets’ movements since they thought of them as their gods.
According to Christenson, the Maya religion had a very cyclical perspective of the world. “Every sunset on the last day of the year symbolizes the end of the planet, yet they held the belief that after each death, the earth would be reborn. Eclipses, which were more dramatic occurrences, were warnings of devastation. Floods were frequently connected with the end of the world, and the Dresden Codex, one of the four surviving codices, depicts a sky band with two eclipses underneath.
The elite, who were believed to carry the blood of gods, had exclusive rights to record these codices as well as all other writing and art. Consider such creative acts to be divine, according to Christenson. The Maya nobility, who they thought to be derived from the gods, was therefore tasked with recording the gods’ movements in the sky.
The Maya nobility also took an active part in religious ceremonies. The dark moon gradually obscures more and more of the sun during a solar eclipse, giving the appearance that the sun is being devoured. As a result, the Maya represented an eclipse’s catastrophic destruction as a monster biting the sun. The Maya would participate in religious rituals, sacrifices, and prayers to the gods in order to avert this tragedy. All Maya ceremonies were centered on rebirth, and bloodletting was particularly popular since it was believed to balance out death. Blood sacrifices were only performed by the nobility, including the King, as common blood could not placate the gods. The Maya considered both animals and trees to be sacred, therefore their blood and sap was also sacrificed.
What we do know describes a highly advanced society whose religion was centered around the heavenly bodies, despite the fact that a large portion of the Maya record was lost in the early decades following the Spanish invasion, such as in the fire at Man. The eclipse tables give us important information about how history was recorded as well as how the Maya perceived the end of the worldor, more accurately, how they saw it as just another devastating beginning.
For the Comparative Arts and Letters Division of the College of Humanities, Olivia covers news. She is a senior who plans to major in French with a minor in global development.
Can astrologically predicted lunar eclipses be seen?
A lunar eclipse happens when the moon approaches fullness and passes through the shadow of the Earth. The Earth is directly between the Sun and the moon during lunar eclipses (known as an opposition between the Sun and the moon). We can observe the Earth’s shadow briefly changing the brilliant full moon into strong hues of red, brown, and gray. Depending on where you are in the world, you could be able to see an eclipse. There are lunar eclipses during full moons.
Lunar eclipses, according to astrology, offer a peek into what Carl Jung called the “shadow self.” We all want to believe that we are nice, compassionate individuals, but we are still only human. It might be difficult to admit and perhaps alarming what we learn about ourselves and others during lunar eclipses. Nevertheless, this offers us the chance to accept our completeness and choose where we have room to develop in new ways.
The first step to controlling our emotions is accepting that we have them (such as fear, wrath, jealousy, and rage). Are we suppressing our emotions or trying to act perfect? That’s when our unresolved problems sneak up on us and take over. Lunar eclipses can be powerful opportunities for self-discovery if we’re ready to put our standards on hold and accept both the good and the ugly.