You Are Not Real and You Will Never Exist Again Celestia
Originally printed at The Catholic Astronomer. Re-printed here with permission.
One 24-hour interval last fall I was working in my office when my desk phone rang. Information technology was a reader of The Catholic Astronomer, calling me with a question. He asked why the Vatican Observatory blog was full of discussion on black holes or whatnot, when there was something much more momentous to talk about.
It turns out that the momentous thing to which my caller was referring was an organisation of celestial bodies that volition occur this year (2017) on September 23. On that appointment, co-ordinate to diverse Internet sources, the heavens themselves will be a tableau of Revelation 12 in the Bible:
A great sign appeared in the heaven, a woman clothed with the lord's day, with the moon nether her anxiety, and on her head a crown of 12 stars. She was with kid and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to requite birth … She gave nascency to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an fe rod.
On September 23, 2017 the sun will exist in the zodiac constellation Virgo — "a woman clothed with the lord's day". The moon volition be at the feet of Virgo — "with the moon under her feet". The '9' stars of the zodiac constellation Leo, plus three planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars), will be at the caput of Virgo — "on her head a crown of 12 stars". The planet Jupiter volition be in the center of Virgo, and, as the weeks pass subsequently September 23, Jupiter will exit Virgo to the east, past her anxiety, so to speak — "She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth". Jupiter is the largest of the planets, the "king" of the planets, so to speak — "She gave birth to a son, a boy, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod".
Must this not exist a sign of something momentous, every bit the Internet sources say? In fact, after researching information technology, I found that, in simply the past 1,000 years, this same organization in the heaven has happened at to the lowest degree four times, in 1827, 1483, 1293, and 1056.
Now, I know that the readers of this blog are diverse. People with interest in astronomy are a diverse group! And you lot all volition have diverse reactions to this question. Some of you lot are probably saying right now, "what a bunch of nonsense!" Others of you lot may exist thinking that my caller had a good indicate, and you would like to learn more. Fortunately, I am a community higher professor! Community higher people are the 'A-Team' of the academic earth (as in B.A., Hannibal, and the crew from the Goggle box show and the pic — who are tougher than anyone else and able to save the day using duct record, PVC piping, and a butane lighter). We thrive on variety! No question phases u.s.!
We know that there are a lot of smart people out there who have non had much formal education in a topic like astronomy, and that interest in questions like this reflects a bones interest in astronomy combined with interest in religion and scripture.
My caller was familiar with the Stellarium sky software. He could recall the skies of September 23, 2017 on Stellarium and see for himself that this celestial arrangement was a real thing. His was a reasonable question. Scientists need to exist able to answer questions people have like this one, without treating the questions as nonsense, because the questions will non go abroad just considering they are dismissed. And thus earlier long I was having a overnice conversation with the caller, and I ended up telling him I would expect into his question, and write a mail service on this topic.
But I said information technology was unlikely to be the post he was looking for. He was OK with that.
And so, Mr. Caller:
Commencement, in one year, thanks to the World's almanac orbit, the sunday travels the entirety of the ecliptic, and thus passes through every one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac. The sun is in Virgo every September.
Second, in one month the moon goes through its cycle of phases, and travels the entirety of the ecliptic, and thus passes through every constellation of the zodiac—all owed to the menstruum of the moon'due south orbit being i month. Therefore there is always a day or two every year when the sun is in Virgo and the moon is just to the eastward of Virgo (only past the "anxiety").
Then, the celestial "woman clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet" is as common in September as is the U.S. holiday of Labor Solar day.
Only what of the crown of 12 "stars," comprised of three planets and the 9 stars of Leo? The response to this question is some other question — why 9 stars in Leo? There are many more than nine stars in Leo. Those ix are just brighter ones that are often depicted as comprising the general outline or shape of the constellation. But in fact there are scads of stars in Leo and surrounding the "caput" of Virgo.
And not all depictions of Leo show those nine every bit its outline. Some prove the outline of Leo as consisting of 10 stars, for instance. That would give Virgo a crown of 13 stars here!
And yes, multiple planets being at Virgo's caput while Jupiter is in Virgo's eye and the moon is at Virgo's feet is somewhat unusual. But it is not that unusual. The period of Jupiter'due south orbit is a trivial less than 12 years, and therefore Jupiter will be in Virgo (with the sun there, as well, and the moon at the anxiety) once every eleven or 12 years.
So the dominicus in Virgo, the moon at Virgo's "feet", and Jupiter in the constellation are regular occurrences. This leaves the planets at the "head" (the number depending on the number of stars granted to Leo) as the determining factor in making a "momentous" celestial arrangement. Indeed – while various Internet sources speak of the specific angelic arrangement here as being "unique in human history" or "once in 7,000 years" – in fact, information technology is not unique to September 23, 2017.
This bones organisation happened before — in September 1827, in September 1483, in September 1293, and in September 1056. These are all shown at the end of this postal service. I only searched dorsum i thou years, from 2017 to 1017 — there are undoubtedly other examples outside of that fourth dimension menses, and probably a couple examples that I missed within that fourth dimension period.
No doubt someone could go diving into the history books to scrounge up some events from 1827, 1483, 1293, and 1056 that the September skies of those years supposedly foretold. That's the way information technology is with astrology. A person reads his or her daily horoscope and finds that information technology says "obstacles will exist placed in your path today." Then, that person picks those instances of getting stuck in traffic, or in a long line at the grocery store, or wherever, and says "hey, that horoscope was right," when, of course, nosotros all see such things every twenty-four hours.
It is true that star divination — reading the heavens for signs — is something astronomers used to believe was valid (or, my approximate is that many of them pretended to believe it was valid, because it paid the bills). Merely astrology has been found to have no more scientific basis than Harry Potter's wand. It doesn't piece of work (something that does non seem to hinder its popularity). If star divination had anything going for it, astronomers would not need to become begging for coin to fund astronomical research. We could simply use our astronomical knowledge to divine which way the stock market place was going, invest accordingly, become "astronomically" wealthy, and fund astronomical inquiry from our surplus.
As it is, watching the heavens for signs of what is to come is a waste product of fourth dimension. And it is doubly a waste matter of time considering "signs in the sky" appeal, for some reason, to all sorts of people out there — all of whom tin use Stellarium to notice this or that momentous "sign" signifying whatever they want to signify.
And that is why astronomers ignore the seemingly momentous celestial organization of September 23, 2017, and talk instead about black holes or whatnot.
Bottom line: From the standpoint of astronomy, in that location's nothing unique or unusual nearly the sun, moon and planets – or the constellation Virgo – on September 23, 2017, despite claims on the Internet of a unique and pregnant celestial event, supposedly "mirroring" the Bible'south Volume of Revelation. In the past one,000 years, this aforementioned event has happened at least iv times already, in 1827, 1483, 1293, and 1056.
Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/biblical-signs-in-the-sky-september-23-2017/
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