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The A Word.

Learning

Astrology is the long standing practice of regarding the motions of the sun, moon, planets and stars as influential on human behaviour, character and destiny. It’s many incarnations produced many texts that while concerned with the motions of celestial bodies, were often wrapped in philosophical and medical “half rationalised magic” (North 2008) that persisted throughout the Middle Ages, scholasticism, the Renaissance and the beginning of the scientific method through to the present day.

The question presented here about whether modern astronomy owes some debt to astrology is predicated on the fact that beneath the superstition, actual data and study of the motion of the solar system and beyond were recorded and transmitted throughout these periods. Indeed the very foundations of astronomy are built on astrological texts and almanacs of ephemeris. Without this data can we assume that what we consider modern astronomy would not have surfaced in the time period it did?

That is a reasonable perspective I think and I can see why this is compelling. Even today more paper is wasted every single day printing horoscopes than is given for reporting on astronomy. Surely such a pervasive mythology has some merit? Agumentum ad populum.

 

I suggest that the practice of astrology, while instrumental in the documentation of ephemeris and it’s utility in the eventual divergence that became astronomy actually delayed astronomical exegesis.

Firstly, where astronomy got its first mathematically rigorous foothold in Mesopotamia astrology was eventually prohibited by the Islamic faith for predicting the future and state-sanctioned astronomy (which was funded and tenacious) was in direct competition with astrology which drew the ire of religious scholars (Saliba, 1994).

Secondly astrology also competed in the Christian Europe in the same way, and it took Thomas Aquinas to reform catholic thinking to be compatible with astronomical wisdom at the time, whose astrological underpinnings were at odds with the churches. Pope Sixtus V issued a papal decree “We decree and declare against astrologers” (Sixtus 1586).

In this sense, both western and eastern astronomy had to contend with astrology in order to move forward scientifically with both churches even though both the christian and muslim faiths had intrinsically astronomical questions (The new moon, direction of Mecca, Easter, Lunar calendars etc). It could be argued that the heliocentric view posited by Copernicus independent of astrology may have been more readily accepted had astronomy carried less theological and mystical baggage due to astrology. If astronomy was considered naturalistic and not supernatural in the first place – it would never have competed with the church, which would have been astronomys largest sponsor during the Renaissance both in the east and the west. Basically we’d all have our jet packs by now.

So yes, astrology is a dirty word. It’s not as bad as the C word*, but it’s up there.

 

 

References

North, J. (2008). Cosmos. USA: The University of Chicago Press.

G. Saliba, (1994), A History of Arabic Astronomy: Planetary Theories During the Golden Age of Islam, New York University Press

Ouimet, A. (2019) The Condemnation of Astrology: The Secret Vatican Archives and Pope Sixtus V Accessed 1st October via https://www.academia.edu/12612787/The_Condemnation_of_Astrology_The_Secret_Vatican_Archives_and_Pope_Sixtus_V

*Celery

Asteroid 861 Aida

Asteroids

I just did my second blind identification of a UFO in my photos ever. Turned out to be 861 “Aida” discovered in 1917 and named after Verdi’s opera. Swings by every 5.5 years. Is a whopping 65kms big and hangs out in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

COD XXX
COM Long. 153 36 07.2 E, Lat. 28 38 49.2 S, Alt. 10m
CON Dylan O’Donnell [info@byronbayobservatory.com.au] TEL Celestron 11″ RASA + CCD
ACK MPCReport file updated 2018.06.19 15:09:51
AC2 info@byronbayobservatory.com.au
NET UCAC-4
00861         C2018 06 12.41380 11 20 55.09 +12 34 16.1          15.0 R      XXX
00861         C2018 06 12.43372 11 20 55.85 +12 34 08.6          15.0 R      XXX
00861         C2018 06 12.47807 11 20 57.24 +12 33 50.9          15.2 R      XXX
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Mars – 2016 vs 2018 – Mid June

BBO Images

Mars is approaching opposition and is currently experiencing a dust storm. The difference is clear in these two images taken 2 years apart but at the same time of year. Mars is already larger and continuing to get bigger as it approaches opposition.

Asteroid 9199 FO1 (1993)

Asteroids

COD XXX
COM Long. 153 35 02.4 E, Lat. 28 37 48.0 S, Alt. 10m
CON Dylan O’Donnell [info@byronbayobservatory.com.au] OBS Dylan O’Donnell
MEA Dylan O’Donnell
TEL 11″ Celestron RASA + CCD
ACK MPCReport file updated 2018.02.18 18:13:09
AC2 info@byronbayobservatory.com.au
NET UCAC-3
09199 C2017 12 06.46640 03 43 50.61 +23 48 01.9 16.0 V XXX
09199 C2017 12 06.47233 03 43 50.30 +23 48 03.0 16.2 V XXX
09199 C2017 12 06.47233 03 43 50.30 +23 48 03.0 16.2 V XXX
09199 C2017 12 06.47994 03 43 49.98 +23 48 02.1 16.3 V XXX
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