answers to lesson 1: astronomical definitions

[Guest guest]

Dear Jyotish Guru Gauranga,

 

Thank you for a wonderfully enlightening lesson. I learned a lot in preparing

this. I thank you in advance for correcting my errors and guiding me.

 

Sincerely,

Karen

 

1. Explain the changing of the seasons and it's connection with the above

mentioned astronomical factors.

 

Unless one lives near the equator, it is warm in the summer and cold in the

winter and somewhere in between in the fall and spring. Since the Sun is our

sole source of heat and this cycle continues in regular order every year, we

know that has to due with something about the Earth's orbit around the Sun. At

first glance one could think that it may have something to do with the Earth's

elliptical orbit and that perhaps it is cold when the Earth is farther away

from the Sun and warmer when it is close. But this is not the case. Argentina

are the USA are nearly same distance from the Sun but have opposite seasons.

The answer lies in the tilt of the Earth's axis which is 23.4 degrees from

perpendicular to the orbit of the Sun and the tilt is always pointing in the

same direction. During some parts of the year the Northern hemisphere will tilt

towards the Sun and have summer and the Southern hemisphere will tilt away from

Sun. When the Northern hemisphere is leaning away from the Sun, the rays of

the Sun are hitting the Earth at a smaller angle and same amount of light is

distributed over a larger surface and therefore receive less heat than others.

When the rays hit the hemisphere at a more direct angle, as when it is tilted

towards the Sun, more heat is concentrated in a smaller area. However this is

not the only reason for changes in the seasonal temperature. The other reason

has to due with changes in the day/night length. Because the Sun is lower on

the horizon in the winter, the daylight hours are shorter and the night hours

are longer and the Earth has more time to cool off. So with less solar energy

reaching the Earth and less time to warm up the Earth's surface the

temperatures are considerably lower the further one travels from the equator.

 

Question 2: There are some days of the year when the Sun doesn't rise or set

above certain parts of the globe. Please explain this phenomenon.

 

At the north pole (latitude +90'), the northern celestial pole is at the zenith

and the celestial equator lies on the horizon. Thus the northern hemisphere of

the celestial sphere always corresponds to the sky. As the celestial sphere

turns about the Northern Celestial Pole, no stars rise or set, instead the same

set of stars is up all the time. If the Sun is north of the celestial equator

it too will be above the horizon all the time .On a June day in the Northern

hemisphere the Sun would make a 360' circle always at the same altitude above

the horizon for as long as the Sun has a positive declination. Conversely,

when the Sun has a negative declination, i.e. below the celestial equator, the

Sun does not rise at all and darkness prevails until the Sun again rises above

the celestial equator. Of course, the opposite applies for the south pole. As

the north pole has constant day, the South Pole has constant night.

 

Question 3: Parasara mentions two classes of heavenly bodies: the moving and the

non-moving ones. Please explain what will be the difference between their roles

in the astrological interpretation.

 

The non-moving heavenly bodies refer to the stars and the moving ones refer to

the planets (grahas). The stars forming the various constellations +/- 9

degrees on either side of the apparent path of the Sun, the elliptic, is called

the zodiac. When this band is divided into 12 equal parts give rise the 12

rashis(signs) represented by 12 constellations. When this band of 18 degrees is

divided into 27 equal parts it gives rise to the 27 nakshatras or lunar

mansions. Because the stars are fixed and the planets are in constant orbit,

the stars can serve as a reference point as to the position of the planets and

influence the astrological reading The 2 mathematical points where the Moon's

orbit cross the elliptic give rise to the "shadow" planets, Rahu and Ketu, and

the 7 visible planets give rise to all astrological interpretation.

The nakshatras also play an important role in timing events as in the nakshatra

based dasas and also in muhurta, electional astrology. The rashis play a large

role in the nature and the meaning of the planets determining by determining

their strength and modifying their effects.

 

Question 4: If you are able to construct your own chart, please do it and

explain as many astronomical principals from it as you can. Also try to

determine which planets are above and under the horizon in your chart. In

which Ayana the Sun is.

 

I was born in Montclair, New Jersey in the US where the latitude is about 40

degrees north of the equator and longitude is 74 degrees west of the Greenwich

meridian. Living in the middle latitude of the northern hemisphere, I have hot

summers from June to September and cold winters from December to February and

somewhere in between the rest of the year. I was born in the month of July when

the Sun was transiting the sign of Cancer and the Sun was high on the horizon

giving long hot days. The Sun was traveling in the northern ayana and it's

declination was decreasing as summer solstice had passed as was approaching the

autumnal equinox.

It was born at 8:31pm EDT when the 9th degree of Capricorn was rising on the

Eastern horizon. The Sun was just setting on the Western horizon at 6 degrees

Cancer. The Moon was also above the horizon in the constellation of Scorpio

and in the 4th pada nakshatra of Vishaka. Mercury was also above the horizon

in the 24th degree of Cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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