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This is the science of the skies which informed the great religions before the rise of monotheism | ||||||
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Looking down on the Earth's north pole, it is rotating
counterclockwise.
The Earth's orbit is very nearly circular,
and it defines |
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The Tilt of the Earth's Axis
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Precession Earth is not perfect |
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This bulge is due to its rotation and the fact that it is not completely rigid. As a result, the equatorial diameter is 43 Km greater than the polar diameter, a difference of 0.34%. ![]() This differential gravitational force is called a tidal force. Basically, the Sun and Moon try to "straighten" the rotation axis to bring it in line with the orbital axis.
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![]() As long as it is spinning, the top does not fall over, and likewise the Earth's axis won't straighten. Currently the Earth's axis points within a degree of the star Polaris, and it will slowly get closer until around the year 2100, when it reaches a minimum separation of 27 minutes of arc. |
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Almost 5000 years ago the Earth's axis pointed towards the star
Thuban in the constellation of Draco, and this star was used by the
ancient Egyptians as their pole star. In 6,000 years the Earth's axis will point towards the star Alderamin in Cepheus, and in 12,000 years it will be near Vega in Lyra. The Earth's precession can be easily observed by standing at the Earth's north pole, where the north celestial pole is at the zenith, and watching how that point changes over time (note the year in the lower-left corner):
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Age of Aquarius Are we there yet? | |||||
Currently,
the vernal equinox is in Pisces; and at the cusp of Aquarius. The exact date was important to many early civilizations
which made no distinction between between science and religion. This
date is commonly held to be December
21, 2012 but there are many alternative views. On the web, the most cited authority who differs, is Astrological Historian, Dr Shepherd Simpson, [geocities.com/astrologyages/ ]Dr. Shepard uses an alternative definition based upon "the space definition of the vernal equinox" to stretch the Age of Pisces to last from 90 BC to 2600 AD. The ancient world and today's both use a cycle of 360 degrees where 72 years is one degree 2160 (72 x 30) which would put Dr Simpson's end time using the more practical 12 x 30 degrees definition of the Precession of the Equinoxes at 2070. Most other web authorities use the Birth of Christ as the beginning of the age of Pisces and end of Aries. All agree that with every passing day we move more into the Age of Aquarius. However, for most of us, its the signs of the season that matter. The Piscean age started fading with the rise of science and new ideas 500 years ago during the Renaissance. Intuitively we understand we are on the cusp of something, be it Armageddon or the Space Age, we are called to be born anew. Carl Jung is the scientist who
first used the Age of Aquarius to help us understand the new paradigms
available when we bring the unconscious to consciousness. Astrology and
the prehistory use of the zodiac, like everything, has a relationship to
the zeitgeist today but our story of the future lies more in our ability
to see the advantage to seeking balance and knowing when we are close to
this harmony. |
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