Positions of the cosmos-lets observe

My intent in this thread is for everyone to start watching the sky and checking out where the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars are.

I will try to keep updates with images on where things are expected to be so people can check their sky's.

Many threads have been posted saying things are not in the right place...so lets get to the bottom of all of this and see.

First, if you want to join in this observation....you need to check your directions from where you live. Please dont just assume you know direct east and west ect....please double check for sure where north, east, south, and west really are with a compass. If you cant do this, you can get an idea about where the directions are by using the north star. This of course wont be totally accurate directions for you will be using your own eyes and mind to then figure out the other directions from the 'north'...but it should be close enough for any 'obvious' wrong positions of the cosmos.

So lets find north.

You can get a general idea of what direction to look into if you watch the sun rise and set. You get a general east and west by watching the sun rise and set (remember, this is just general for the sun does not rise and set exactly east and west all the time). So now, turn to what would be your general northern night sky and look for the big dipper. The big dipper is like a clock that circles around the north star. Right now in the summer time, in the evening hours, the big dipper should be easy to find.

First, locate the Big Dipper in the northern sky during the evening hours. Notice that the Big Dipper has two parts: a bowl and a handle. See the two outer stars in the bowl? They’re known as The Pointers because they point to the North Star, which is also known as Polaris.

Polaris is the north star that you are looking for to mark your north. You can watch the big dipper throughout the night time and you will notice it circle around the north star.

Now lets look where some other things are NOW in the sky.

Being that we are in the middle of summer...the sun is rising pretty much east and west. As you watch the Sun set tonight, choose a place to stand for your present and future observations. Mark the direction the Sun is setting for your west. I would say 6 pm is a good time to mark this.




Now....go back out around 8pm and look to the west trying to catch the sun right before it goes below the horizon. You may notice that it is not exactly west no more! It will be slightly to the north making the direction in between west and northwest. It is small times like this that people can become confused. They catch the Sun as it seems to move at a angel and not a straight line as it sets and then assume the summer sun that sets always west is not in its rightful place. Here is a image of the Sun tonight at 8pm from my location, 2 hours later then the first image I posted when it was directly west.




If you keep observing throughout the rest of the year, standing in the exact same place always and using your marker....you will see the Sun will start to set more to the to the southwest then west.

Here is an image of the Sun come November before it sets..notice the direction at the horizon (southwest).




This is just an example of the changes we will observe.

We are coming up on a full moon. As the Sun sits right on the horizon, star looking to the southeast. The moon will pop up there shortly.

The moon is not always east and west and neither is the zodiac constellations. As you find the moon tonight, know you are also facing the direction of Ophiuchus which is a constellation that the Sun moves through every year, it is a part of the elliptical path of the Sun.

This image is at 9pm from my location, looking southeast.




If you watch the moon throughout the night, you will watch it seem to move across the night sky from southeast to southwest and Im going to say it will set around 2-3 am in the southwest. It will depend on how high your horizon sits as to when you will see the moon set from your location.

Here is some further info about finding a few planets right now.

earthsky.org...

Right after the Sun sets...look for Saturn and the constellations Leo and Virgo.

Make note of the directions at the bottom of the image...this is around 9pm-10pm.




So this is just a start. If people seem interested then I will add more info and details. If it seems like a flop then I will let the thread go. Let me know if people like this idea for a thread.

Im not here to say that things are in their right place or not. I think that is for everyone to decide on their own with a little observing on a daily basis.



LV

can't see your point....

question - you know why it is so, don't you??

Originally posted by KrzYma
can't see your point....

question - you know why it is so, don't you??

I dont see your point...

Why what is so?

Let me remind again.

It is a absolute must that if you take this seriously that you choose a spot to stand in for your observation. If you have to, make a little circle with some rocks or something. Always stand in the same spot for your observations.

There are many things we can all learn about the Earths wobble and position to the cosmos if we continue this observation together. If we continue for several years, it will be even more so that we learn.

I also think there is a neat feeling one gains when they become in sync with the position of the earth to its location amongst the cosmos. Like a realigning of something within you that knows you are a part of a bigger whole.

Very cool idea. I have an observation. You mention mid-thread that the sun passes through Ophiuchus. I have a star chart that I purchased at Mt. Palomar in 1999. It was printed in 1992. It shows the ecliptic (the sun's path through the sky) missing Ophiuchus by quite a bit. It shows instead that during that time it is in Sag. and Scorpio.

In the early 2000's I read some magazines and newspapers in a foreign language about astrological signs and how now they were proposing a 13th sign because the sun was seen to be in the snake (Serpens) (don't remember if it was Cauda or Caput or some new midpoint.) If that was true then, it would mean that the sun has continued it's journey off the ecliptic from there and now is in Ophiuchus.

Not a question here, just an observation and thanks for the forum.

Originally posted by LeoVirgo

Originally posted by KrzYma
can't see your point....

question - you know why it is so, don't you??

I dont see your point...

Why what is so?

I think the question is, what do you observe? what is wrong with what you see?
Mercury moves in other direction then Saturn or what?
that the Sun goes down not in the West?

what should I look for?

Originally posted by luxordelphi
Very cool idea. I have an observation. You mention mid-thread that the sun passes through Ophiuchus. I have a star chart that I purchased at Mt. Palomar in 1999. It was printed in 1992. It shows the ecliptic (the sun's path through the sky) missing Ophiuchus by quite a bit. It shows instead that during that time it is in Sag. and Scorpio.

In the early 2000's I read some magazines and newspapers in a foreign language about astrological signs and how now they were proposing a 13th sign because the sun was seen to be in the snake (Serpens) (don't remember if it was Cauda or Caput or some new midpoint.) If that was true then, it would mean that the sun has continued it's journey off the ecliptic from there and now is in Ophiuchus.

Not a question here, just an observation and thanks for the forum.

Is there any way you could post this star chart that you are speaking of? If it was an astrology star chart, this would explain it. The sun has been moving through Ophiuchus for a long time. It also could be depended on what kind of boundaries the star chart was using to divide the constellations.

The Sun does not move through the middle part of Ophiuchus but moves by its bottom, around the knees area. There is also a place where Ophiuchus and Scorpio seemingly overlap each other so this is questionable when the Sun is in that area to say which one the Sun is in at that time. The Sun spends more time in Ophiuchus (according to the boundaries made by the astronomical union) then it does in Scorpio. The Sun is and has been spending about 16 days in Ophiuchus for a very long time. The planets and moon also have been passing through Ophiuchus just the same.

If I could see that star chart I could at least say if its boundaries are being based on the astronomy boundaries of the constellations and should be able to tell if it was more of a astrology based star chart.

reply to post by KrzYma


Im hoping we can use this thread to counter other threads that say 'the moon was not where it should be' or 'the sun is not where it should be'.

Some people may not understand that its not always a straight line across the sky from east to west for the movements of the spheres. It has alot to do with seasons on where the elliptic line is.

Maybe through all of this we will notice many people coming on and saying 'no the moon was not in front of leo last night like you said it should of been' or something of that effect.

I have not noticed anything out of the norm from my observations but also know that even through one lifetime I could not observe all the changes the sun and planets make because some of the cycles are thousands of years long.

One of the coolest observations we all can enjoy together when it comes is to watch the crescent moon in the low eastern sky right before the sun rises and then just days later, find the crescent moon in the opposite side of the sky, low in the west after sun set.

So I hope this brings some understanding that things are not 'out of whack' (or even that they are)....and as well just gets people into watching the sky more. We have so many distractions now adays.

People can use the thread for many things.

Originally posted by LeoVirgo


Is there any way you could post this star chart that you are speaking of? If it was an astrology star chart, this would explain it. The sun has been moving through Ophiuchus for a long time. It also could be depended on what kind of boundaries the star chart was using to divide the constellations.

The Sun does not move through the middle part of Ophiuchus but moves by its bottom, around the knees area. There is also a place where Ophiuchus and Scorpio seemingly overlap each other so this is questionable when the Sun is in that area to say which one the Sun is in at that time. The Sun spends more time in Ophiuchus (according to the boundaries made by the astronomical union) then it does in Scorpio. The Sun is and has been spending about 16 days in Ophiuchus for a very long time. The planets and moon also have been passing through Ophiuchus just the same.

If I could see that star chart I could at least say if its boundaries are being based on the astronomy boundaries of the constellations and should be able to tell if it was more of a astrology based star chart.

No, it's not an astrology chart. It's from Mt. Palomar, the astronomical observatory. They don't have anything to do with astrology. Astronomy and astrology were divorced in the 1500's I believe. It is a somewhat interactive chart and not something I can copy and post but the ecliptic will not vary from that on any other astronomy chart showing the ecliptic from that year or before unless it's a revamp on the web. There are no boundaries dividing the constellations; there are only the stars comprising each. The ecliptic doesn't come anywhere near Ophiuchus or the bottom of it nor to Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda which are at the bottom of Ophiuchus.

The ecliptic of the 1990's does not take the sun through Ophiucus. Because the moon can deviate 5 degrees off the ecliptic, I don't know if it passes through Ophiucus or not because I don't have a chart for that and neither have I observed it recently enough to recall. Same goes for the other planets - don't know off the top of my head what their deviation from the ecliptic is. Thanks for your interest.

reply to post by luxordelphi


The path of the sun, the elliptical line, does pass through Ophiuchus.

earthsky.org...

The ecliptic – which translates on our sky’s dome as the sun’s annual path in front of the background stars – actually passes through 13 constellations, although this is not commonly known. After all, when you read the horoscope in the daily newspaper or a monthly magazine, you see only 12 constellations, or signs, mentioned. No one ever claims to be an “Ophiuchus.” There are the 12 traditional zodiacal constellations. But the sun passes through Ophiuchus as surely as it does the others.

Edit to add....since I am dealing with astronomy here for this thread, I will use the boundaries that were set by the International Astronomy Union in the 1930's. So yes, for astronomy, there are boundaries for the constellations. And yes, according to the stars that make Ophiuchus a constellation, the Sun does pass in front of some of its stars.

www.iau.org...

Originally the constellations were defined informally by the shapes made by their star patterns, but, as the pace of celestial discoveries quickened in the early 20th century, astronomers decided it would be helpful to have an official set of constellation boundaries. One reason was to aid in the naming of new variable stars, which brighten and fade rather than shine steadily. Such stars are named for the constellation in which they reside, so it is important to agree where one constellation ends and the next begins.

Yes the moon and planets deviate from the elliptical line. Sometimes you will find the moon and planets so far off of it that they can be seen in Serpens, Cetus, Bootes, Coma Berenices, and Sextans. These are also things I hope for people to observe when the time comes that we can notice such things.

Originally posted by LeoVirgo
reply to post by luxordelphi

 

The path of the sun, the elliptical line, does pass through Ophiuchus.

earthsky.org...

The ecliptic – which translates on our sky’s dome as the sun’s annual path in front of the background stars – actually passes through 13 constellations, although this is not commonly known. After all, when you read the horoscope in the daily newspaper or a monthly magazine, you see only 12 constellations, or signs, mentioned. No one ever claims to be an “Ophiuchus.” There are the 12 traditional zodiacal constellations. But the sun passes through Ophiuchus as surely as it does the others.

On my star chart, Ophiuchus, the coffin, has no knees so maybe I'm in a different universe. On my star chart the equator does clearly pass through Ophiuchus but the ecliptic does not. I still remember the news stories of the time stating that the sun was NOW passing through Ophiuchus and the non-chalant way that many astrology sites slid on into this new business. I guess, when observing, it behooves to have hard copy if any differences are really to be observed. Thankyou for your continued interest.

reply to post by luxordelphi


It was a bit absurd the way the media made a big deal about Ophiuchus. For it was not 'new news' that the Sun passed through Ophiuchus and they made it sound as if there was some 'big change' that occurred and that this was 'new'.

I actually am a bit into astrology but I use astronomy for the positions and not modern day astrology's positions. Before the media ever made a big thing about Ophiuchus...I was using it for my own ways to give people their true positions at their birth and I made a thread here to offer people those positions. In fact, many people on ATS, according to astronomy and not astrology....had the Sun or some planet in Ophiuchus at their birth.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I was not claiming that this was the absolute correct way to read the stars...but it was the way that I found most suffice to do so (for those interested in such things).

Edit to add...Im unsure why your star chart would have Ophiuchus as a coffin. It is a constellation named after a 'real man' which is why Ophiuchus is known as the healer. Today we still use this trademark of 'healing' with the symbol of the staff wrapped with a serpent. Ophiuchus is a constellation of a man holding a snake.

reply to post by LeoVirgo


You're a sport LeoVirgo and I wish you good fortune and fine adventure in your quest with this thread.

reply to post by luxordelphi


Thanks for that


Its all really just more learning for me. I love to watch the sky and learn how the earths wobble and such effects what we are seeing in the cosmos.

Hello my friend LeoVirgo. Since we first met here at ATS, you have inspired me to become an observer of the heavens. I have been observing the phases of the moon and it's position. I have been watching sunsets and noting it's slow progression across the horizon and it's changing set time. I have also been observing stars and/or planets, but I still don't know what is what, laziness on my part for failing to study star charts :p

Sol and Luna are my main focuses so far, just because they are so obvious As to not overwhelm myself, what star, planet, or constellation would be good to start observing at this time? If my birth is of any significance of bodies I should acknowledge, you gave me a reading here:
The energies of the cosmos, on your birth post by LeoVirgo


I hope all is well with you. I wish you all the Love and Peace of the cosmos!

reply to post by Sahabi


Its great to know that you are taking a interest in observing-Im sure you can feel the energies of just observing, even if you dont know for sure what you are looking at, its a natural way to refuel ourselves on natural energy that we are in need of and that we drain ourselves of in every day distractions and living.

I will get back to you this afternoon on some things to start with and maybe it will drive me to get this thread back up and going again. Will gather some images for you and take another look at your birth positions as well.

Till then...
LV

reply to post by Sahabi


Hi again Sahabi

I clicked on the link you offered for your b-day info and I dont think my ats is working right, I have been having issues with it all day with posts and links. I looked at the page that goes to the link and I could not find my post for you and I searched through the page before it and after with no success of finding it still. If you want, it can be beneficial for you to just copy and paste what I gave you in that thread....its just a long thread and I have no clue where to begin looking hun.

When I look into positions...Im attracted to certain spheres and everyone will notice they too are attracted to certain spheres. So when I tell you something of interests to me...it may come with a little bit of prejudice of what I enjoy watching for *smiles*

First let me say what is at the top of my list right now...something that occurs in a few day is the Sun conjuncts with Regulus, the heart of Leo the lion. It is where all of my star searching began when I observed one night a conjunction of a planet with Regulus and a 'feeling' occurred in me about a death was to occur. 2 weeks later my mother was having kidney failure and had a 9 hour nde ( you may of read about that in the cosmic energy thread I did). So I watch for any conjunctions of Regulus now. It just so happens that it occurs with the sun on the 23rd which is my fathers b-day. We cant see this conjunction...but what I think about on this day of the sun and Regulus conjuncting is Regulus stands for the little king, and I relate that little king that is within us all...the male energy of our own savior within ourselves that comes through us in times of awakening or awareness....the spirit within us. What is neat about this year is 2 days before the sun and Regulus conjunct together....Venus and Regulus conjunct together. I feel a transition point for Venus in that it is going from a morning star to a evening star. We had Venus in our early morning hours at the start of this year...here recently we have not been able to see it because its too close to the Sun...but soon now we will start seeing it in the low western evening sky after the sun sets. Know that we dont have to 'see' the spheres with our own eyes....we can also be aware while being outdoors to what is going on that we cant see...and simply just face the direction of the occurrence. I plan on having a little moment of reflection on the 21st before the sun sets for Venus and Regulus together and then on the 23rd doing the same before the sun sets, knowing the sun and Regulus are together and leo is the sign I face. I sum this up as the light bringer dancing with the little king as it starts to transform to its nightly position and then the sun wraps up this nicely following right behind Venus for a dance with Regulus too.

Here is an image of Venus and the Sun right now in leo so you can imagine how leo is setting and how close they are together right now...note mercury too will always be pretty close to the sun.




One thing I love about the stars and spheres is their 'sure footedness'. They keep order and keep the cycles.

Now for some things you can see....

Tonight and tomorrow night around midnight or a little after you can find the moon towards the eastern sky and you should be able to spot a bright light for Jupiter. Jupiter can be overwhelming sometimes if you gaze on it and consider its massiveness compared to us and I cant help but to wonder how the ancients knew that Jupiter was surely the 'king of planets'. As you face the moon the next couple nights you face Aries and Pisces.

Here is an image of the moon and Jupiter tonight




The moon will rise later and later in the night in the east as it moves to end its cycle. Around the 25th it will be close with Mars in the early morning hours before sunrise. I love Mars. Mars will be in Gemini. You can also note Orion while looking for Mars. Orion rising in our early morning hours is also a sign to us that a change in the seasons is coming.

Here are some articles I pulled from earthsky tonight...

earthsky.org...

earthsky.org...

earthsky.org...

The first hints of the changing of the seasons can now be seen in the predawn and dawn sky: Orion the Hunter and Sirius the Dog Star. The very noticeable constellation Orion the Hunter rises before dawn at this time of year, and Sirius follows Orion into the sky at or close to dawn. Orion will become visible in the evening by winter, but presently the Hunter lords over the southeastern sky at dawn’s first light.

And around the 31st we may catch a glimpse of Saturn and the star Spica in Virgo...they can be marked by looking for the young crescent moon right after sun set. Im a sucker for watching for the new crescent moon to show itself each month. Several ancient cultures started their marking of a 'new month' according to when the new moon showed itself.

earthsky.org...

All my best
LV
Happy watching

reply to post by LeoVirgo


Hello LeoVirgo.
Thank you very much for the suggestions, insights, and experiences. Very, very much appreciated! I will be observing each body you mentioned. For some unknown reason, the thought of consciously observing Jupiter and Venus just gave me a humble shyness... almost the feeling one would get to speak on stage or meet the president or king. Weird

Here's what you said about my birth:

Originally posted by LeoVirgo

For 11-27-83

Sun in Scorpio. Scorpio's are rare with the system Im using (astronomy) because the Sun is only in Scorpio for a little over 6 days.

Before the Sun rises on this day, many spheres lead the way for the Sun. First rises Leo bringing the Moon. Then rises Virgo with Pluto, Mars, and Venus. Then rises Libra with Saturn. Then comes the Sun.

Uranus, Mercury, and Jupiter all in Ophiuchus.

Neptune in Sagittarius (sitting in the general direction towards the center of our galaxy).

All your spheres are on 1 half of the wheel.


Here is a image of many the Sun in Scorpio at your birth...

I hope you have a great weekend!

reply to post by Sahabi

For some unknown reason, the thought of consciously observing Jupiter and Venus just gave me a humble shyness... almost the feeling one would get to speak on stage or meet the president or king.

Thanks so much for sharing this inner feeling with me...it made me smile. This is the things I would pay attention to no matter how silly or weird I found the feeling to be. This is what I would observe then...the ones that arose a emotional reaction in you.

Consider this...that in Spirit, the whole universe is one expression, a whole being...and we, the planets, the animals, are all like cells to one body. There for, each cell has something to offer the other cells. In one body, the cells do not work for their own self only but work together in ways that cant really be seen. So each thing in the universe would have a double purpose....a purpose of the cell in its own right to be...and then a purpose to the whole body, something to offer the other cells for the whole. What another cell has to offer you to ponder and think on will be unique to you. Similar, what a person has to offer me in life will be different then what that same person has to offer you in life....we all have something to give eachother for reflection of what we really are.

And another thing I truly believe in...is the 'pulling' of us towards looking into something, things making us go 'hmmmm' is no happenstance and when we pay attention to this pull then there is a opportunity that awaits us. I have felt that you have felt this pull for while with the stars and the reasons are infinite in potentials.

Something else that I learned of last night was that this comet elelin is supposed to be in leo....I have to double check that info for myself but I read that in several places last night. So next time I face the sun, which is in leo right now as well as Venus is in leo...Im going to show awareness to this new body. Its a 'inner thing'...the showing of awareness. And its as if you can sometimes feel the universe, watching you, be aware of it. This experience of feeling the universe being aware of you being aware...reminds me of the double slit experiment...when the observer makes an effect to the way an electron behaves either as a particle or wave.

I dont see any alignments from the spheres at your birth to where they are now...so I would call it 'free observing' right now for you....observe where ever you feel the pull.

Lots of love!
LV

If anyone reading this can use google sky I am looking for a image of where exactly comet elelin is at in leo right now.

Would appreciate anyone that can offer a image of this.

Thanks!