When Does the Age of Aquarius Began Again
Aquarius the Water Bearer on St Marker's Clock, San Marco, Venice
Rob Young on Flickr (CC By 2.0)
The dawning of Age of Aquarius is more than merely a lyric from a 1970s musical. It is a very real astronomical phenomenon that will occur in the not too distant hereafter, affecting how we view the stars and constellations surrounding our solar system. To astrologers it carries a flake more significance for homo society and earth events, but this definition is, of course, heavily mired in pseudoscience.
To understand when this new age will occur requires a bit of understanding of the constellations of the Zodiac, too as the dynamics of Globe'due south orientation in the Solar System that cause the astrological historic period to alter over time.
Precession of the Globe's axis. The white arrows effectually the equator show the daily rotation of the Earth. The circle around the Due north Pole shows the path the pole traces over 25,772 years.
Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC
What Historic period Are We In Now?
An astrological age, also known equally a smashing month, refers to the position of the Sunday - from our perspective - in relation to the background constellations at the fourth dimension of the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox, on March 20-22 of every year, is the signal at which the Sun's arc across the heaven shifts from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere, marker the beginning of leap in the due north and autumn in the due south. Currently, the constellation behind the Sun at the vernal equinox is Pisces, the fish.
Nonetheless, this has not always been the instance. Due to the uneven tug of the Dominicus'south gravity on the northern and southern hemispheres of our slightly pear-shaped planet, the Earth has adult a very slow, circular wobble in its axis of rotation. This wobble is known as precession. The n and south poles move in a tiresome, gradual circle over a period of 25,772 years. This ways that in a few hundred years, Polaris will no longer be our north pole star, equally the northern axis will have drifted a few degrees along this circle.
This besides means that the constellation behind the Dominicus at the time of the vernal equinox will too change, as the plane of the equator will shift forth with the Globe'due south axis. The adjacent constellation later on Pisces will be Aquarius, the water-bearer.
Where is the Constellation Aquarius?
The constellation Aquarius is one of the oldest recognized constellations, and played a function in ancient Greek, Babylonian, and Hindu mythology. Equally with all constellations of the Zodiac, it is located along the ecliptic - the plane of the Globe's orbit around the Sun. Aquarius is most visible from Earth during the month of October, and can be seen at latitudes from 65 degrees North to the Southward Pole.
Autonomously from its significance to those who believe in astrology, Aquarius is an interesting region of the heaven. Its brightest star, Beta Aquarii, is a giant yellow triple star 540 low-cal years away with the Arabic name Sa'ad as-Sa'ud (luck of lucks). Next brightest, Blastoff Aquarii, is a supergiant 520 light years abroad with some other lucky name: Sa'ad al-Malik (luck of the king). The central star of the "Jar" of Aquarius is the binary Zeta Aquarii, located 120 light years away and bearing the Arabic name Sa'advertizement at-Tajiir (luck of the merchant).
The astronomical luck of Aquarius extends beyond the constellation'south cadre stars, as information technology is also habitation to globular clusters, planetary nebulae, and several interesting exoplanet finds. Gliese 876 is a carmine dwarf in Aquarius with four known planets, and the beginning cerise dwarf found to have a planetary system. Gliese 849 is another Aquarian cerise dwarf 29 light years abroad, and the kickoff found to take a long-period Jupiter-similar planet orbiting it.
The path of the vernal equinox from 4000 BCE to the present. Click to overstate.
Kevin Heagen at Wikipedia (CC BY-SA three.0)
When Volition the Age of Aquarius Begin?
The time at which the Sun's position at the vernal equinox will motion from Pisces into Aquarius is hotly debated among astrologers, who hold some widely varying opinions well-nigh where the borders should be drawn between the constellations. Many believe that it volition happen in the 25th Century, many others believe it happened in the 20th Century. Other astrologers argue for the 24th, 26th, 27th, and the current 21st Century, while nonetheless others argue that it happened in the 18th, 19th or even as far back as the 15th Century. The Age of Aquarius mythology has as well become entangled with the 2012 Global Superpocalypse mythology, leading many peddlers of pseudoscience to assert that the age begins December 21, 2012.
The International Astronomical Spousal relationship (IAU) provides a much more solid answer to the debate. The IAU standardized the names, shapes, and - most importantly - the borders betwixt the 88 modern constellations in 1930. This gives a defined edge between Pisces and Aquarius - a line from the angelic coordinates 23h 56m 24due south, -3.304° to 22h 51chiliad 27southward, -3.337° . The indicate of the vernal equinox should cantankerous this line around the year 2600.
The error, honey Brutus, is not in our stars / but in ourselves, that nosotros are underlings.
- William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Poll Time!
Why is the Age of Aquarius Significant?
The short answer to this question: it isn't.
Many astrologers affirm that the movement of the vernal equinox across this imaginary edge on the celestial sphere will somehow bring nifty upheaval to homo society, causing the rising and fall of civilizations, expansion of global consciousnesses, changing family structures, and the ushering in of a global utopia and/or a fascist Orwellian nightmare. This is, of form, complete speculation. While the onset of the 27th Century no doubtfulness will see its share of global events as humans make bolder technological and societal advances, and continues to cope with the consequences of our electric current age of climatic and environmental destruction, these events volition have absolutely nothing to practise with the constellations that happen to lie backside the Sunday on the starting time day of spring.
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Apart from the astronomers who volition take to re-draw star charts and rewrite science textbooks to arrange the shifting poles, at that place will exist no significance for humanity at all. While information technology is true that changes in axial tilt and orbital characteristics can take cyclic furnishings on the climate known as Milankovitch Cycles, these occur on a scale of tens of thousands of years, not hundreds, and will not touch man existence in the virtually term.
Despite what astrologers like to affirm, the regular orbital movements of the planets of our solar system have no effect whatsoever on the course of private human being lives (except, possibly, for professional astronomers and engineers who build space probes). This has been demonstrated in hundreds of scientific studies that show the predictive powers of star charts, birth signs, and astrology readings to exist no improve than random chance. The words of Julius Caesar are as valid today as they were when William Shakespeare (and/or Edward de Vere, Francis Salary, Christopher Marlowe, or whoever else may have penned the work of Shakespeare) wrote them in 1599. The fault is non in our stars, but in ourselves.
In that location is simply one star in our sky that has any upshot whatsoever on human destiny: the one that's visible during the day.
Obligatory 70s Music Video
Sources and Farther Information
- Night Heaven Info: Aquarius
A constellation of the zodiac, through which the Sunday passes from mid February to mid March. - List of stars in Aquarius - Wikipedia, the complimentary encyclopedia
This is the listing of notable stars in the constellation Aquarius, sorted past decreasing brightness. - Milutin Milankovitch : Characteristic Articles
The Serbian astrophysicist Milutin Milankovitch is all-time known for developing one of the most significant theories relating Earth motions and long-term climate change. He dedicated his career to developing a mathematical theory of climate based on the - Star divination and Science: Research results
Contains abstracts of 91 studies, most of them empirical, from 4 astrological research journals.
Robert Manuel on Baronial 12, 2020:
Peachy info,thanks then much!
Stefon on April 14, 2020:
The Age of Aquarius starts now! I guess their speculations were right.
Myron on March 05, 2020:
The verbal date of the Aquarian age began May 23, 1844....gnatholgc@ gmail.com This is exact as scientific discipline could e'er expect!
Ginny Shearer on January 08, 2020:
Thank you for outlining the concept so well.
Your article has been linked hither...
https://adifferentdrummer.com.au/tarot-card-readin...
Donna Christina Summers on Feb 19, 2019:
Age of Aquarius may be an amazing age only we mortals forget that we will die one day. no matter how famous or great we may be in reaching the top of human existence or existence called the bearer of true enlightenment to mankind,it wont matter to us i bit where we are going once we are dead and gone. and so focus on the afterlife for that is the true purpose of why we are hither on this side of being.when we did dice,nosotros will be liberated from this physical plane only where we will eventually state will be determined by how much we plan to invest for the afterlife. alive in detest and forgiveness and we volition go someplace non very nice.live in love and forgiveness and we volition land on a very nice identify.
why? cos beloved gives life.its considering of love from your mother choosing not to abort you,you are hither.i dont believe in calorie-free and dark equally existence equal entity of beingness praised .no, because of the goodness of the low-cal of honey we are here.the darkness sorrounding the stars dis not contribute to life but it is the lite of the stars where the universe comes to life with vibrant colours of dazzler as well imperial and glorious for a feeble human listen to fathom.
if this earth is to exist dominated by darkness,we will be having a nuclear holocaust a 100 times by now to blow us out of existence,humanity volition ceast to exist a long time ago. only there is a force which loves life that is putting the darkness in bank check not to let information technology get overboard but giving usa all a hazard to find the true purpose of the path of light.and i will boldly come to the conclusion that this low-cal is in fact the creator of the universe.it is our journey to find Him.nosotros humans are designed to seek our creator and we volition not find peace until we practice only many of united states cull to seek to fill the emptiness in our centre by indulging in many false ways and go more depressed by information technology.
Bottomline: if you are even so feeling empty and depressed after you thought you are post-obit the right nirvana.time to change your path
Pitso Raymond Mothibeli on June 27, 2018:
i always endeavor to sympathize the methodology of tar signs, particularly Aquarius considering that is my star sign. I was overwhelmed past how astrological readings can impact my everyday life. And so much engage in my star signs day in day out. Cheers very much for the discovery. Cognition is power.
Thomas Kite on Apr 26, 2018:
I'm under the impression that breakthrough mechanics has shown that fifty-fifty allowing causality to be nonlocal – so that an issue in one place can accept an influence on another, distant place – is not enough to explicate how breakthrough objects behave. Just that bated- Stonehenge is proof that stars take been affecting humanity since long before history.
David the Aries on December 25, 2017:
Nosotros are not able to tell whether the constellations influence our lives or non, we are merely human and very limited to know these things, and so every deprival of their influence on us is not able to be proved nor is it based on correct explanation. In that location is then little we actually know about all the magic in the universe. I have studied it and I find it remarkable to experience alter in my needs when the Moon turns into some other sign or when the Sunday position doesn't benefit my own lord's day sign, or when the Mars position supports me or non. If these planets influence us on a daily base of operations, why would the ones that are generational or fifty-fifty Age-associated not do the same?
Janakananda on December 24, 2013:
Great article. Although Krishna would disagree with your conclusions ;) Aum.
John Harper from Malaga, Spain on May 16, 2012:
Splendid hub, well written and researched, cheers!
Robin Edmondson from San Francisco on Apr 11, 2012:
I never knew the significant of the historic period of Aquarius. Your Hubs are ever fascinating to me and I always larn something new. It is interesting to me how conspiracy theorists always predict destruction and mayhem with a change, such as Aquarius being backside the lord's day at the Vernal Equinox. Have they ever prophesied prosperity and health? I judge that would get little, if any, attention. ;)
Wesman Todd Shaw from Kaufman, Texas on April 08, 2012:
That may be true - merely there is more than unknown than known in this globe....and I seriously experienced some things similar I'd never experienced before that nighttime. It was very intense.
All other things known were equal.
But that is a "wanky" subject - unrelated much to this or my Theosophy article.
scottcgruber (author) from USA on April 08, 2012:
@Weisman Todd Shaw: please practise - I don't mind a fleck and appreciate the link, even if your perspective is a bit unlike.
Though I must circumspection a bit against the link you seem to exist making between your emotional country and Mars. Unless you're Dr. Steve Squyres, principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, there'southward really no logical reason for you to associate whatever sort of change in mood with the relative positions of the Earth and Mars.
Call back - correlation is non causation. This I cannot stress plenty. Just considering events may seem related does not mean that they are related.
Wesman Todd Shaw from Kaufman, Texas on April 08, 2012:
I've got a hub started that is semi related to this in a roundabout way - I need to stop the matter, only if y'all don't heed - I'd like to put a link to this hub in mine.
Permit me know if you don't want that to happen...this one might show up on the sidebar regardless, just it is really well done, and takes a more factual sort of view of the astrological thing than the wanky new age religious matter I'thousand writing - and so it will be very useful.
I'm hearing a lot near this, of course, and it is very interesting. I hear a lot of speculation well-nigh what it will do to the mind....interestingly enough, a couple Summer'due south ago when Mars was really close to the Earth for a fleck...I truly felt that had a bad effect on me, only then once again I'm universally thought to be nuts.
scottcgruber (author) from Us on April 06, 2012:
You're very welcome - cheers for the inspiration! Information technology was a far more interesting topic than I expected it to be.
tigerbaby777 from Nampa on April 06, 2012:
Give thanks you for writing such a fantastic Hub to my question! I can only admire how intelligent your answers are. Again, cheers. Voted upwardly and everything else! Such an interesting read!
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