Visitations, including 'Extraterrestrial' 
'PROBES' since July 1999
THE MILLENNIUM
ECLIPSE
by
Peter McBrearty dms.astrol. m.a.p.a.
..........Something akin to 'Panic' swept throughout the country!
Throughout the area, the poor had thrown away their
possessions and, casting themselves to the ground on their backs with
their eyes toward Heaven, prayed most passionately that Christ would
let them see the Sun again and save them. The 'financial armour' of
the rich offered no more protection than the cloak of God-fearing
humility worn by the poor, except that, being less easily separated
from their precious belongings, they loaded their coaches and fled
from London in fear. All the while, Mountbanks seemed to do a roaring
trade in special cordials which were expected to dispel the effects
of this ominous event. -- (More than ever perhaps it was shown that
"It is an ill wind that blows 'nobody' any good"! )
The event ? --- "Black Munday", the 29th day of March 1652, when
the Sun was eclipsed in the 19th degree of Aries at 10:30am in
London.
In far off China and Thailand the responsibility for devouring the
Sun was laid firmly at the feet of the Dragon -- However, closer
inspection of what is often considered to be a pagan and ignorant
belief shows that, in China, the Moon's Nodes are called the Dragon's
head (north node) and the Dragon's tail (south node). The Moon's
Nodes are the points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic (the
path of the Earth around the Sun) and it is only when the Moon is
close to one of these points that a total eclipse can occur.
The North American Indians blamed the dogs and coyotes, and the
South American Indians believed it to be the fault of jaguars. In
Africa and Indonesia, snakes were held responsible, whereas in India,
more accurately, it was Rahu and Ketu (Indian names for the North and
South Nodes).
In Tahiti, there was a less malevolent view, and a more
romanticised vision of this heavenly conjunction. They apparently
believed that the light of heaven was obscured as the Sun and Moon
came together to make love and so give birth to the stars! This seems
to me to show an interesting difference in the cultural psychology of
such a nation, having a predilection for such peaceful imagery as
opposed to the more disturbing and warlike interpretations posed in
Europe and other places in general.
THE MILLENNIUM
ECLIPSE
In these modern times of enlightenment (?) eclipses of the Sun and
Moon come and go with little more than a ripple of excitement outside
of the astrological and astronomical communities, (absolute knowledge
conquers absolute fear?) though there is more interest stirred in the
areas where the actual eclipse is visible, and certainly more if the
eclipse is 'total' and involves the obscuration of the sun, - a
'Total Eclipse of the Sun'! probably the most wonderous natural event
we can witness in the cosmos with the naked eye.
Although eclipses are of special interest to astrologers and
astronomers they also demand the attention of biologists,
anthropologists, and other scientists, because of the observable
effects they have on the vegetable, animal, and human kingdoms.
As the ominous presence of the Moon's dark disk moves slowly
across the face of our life-giving Sun, almost obscuring it's fiery
glare completely at totality, darkness falls. Stars and planets
appear in the sky! flowers which normaly close by night and open by
day react by closing their petals; birds go to roost and animals
often bed down for the night. As the point of totality ends and the
Moon's dark disk slips forward, you may be able to hear the cock crow
as it welcomes the start of the 'new day'.
Nature itself seems to be fooled!
On June 30th, 1973, a group of British, French, and American
scientists boarded the super-jet Concorde. They were armed with the
most advanced equipment of the day as they set out to witness and
record one of the longest eclipses of the century. The totality of
this eclipse lasted 7mins 4secs. and won't recur until June 25th
2150.
(The coming August 11th 1999 eclipse will last up to 2mins 06secs
at totality as viewed from Alderney).
Being on board the plane they were able to follow the track of the
eclipse and study the obscuration of the Sun for 70mins.
Anthropologists on land made the trek to the shores of Lake Rudolph
in Africa to observe the reactions of the El Molo tribe who live
there. This did not go down too well with the natives however, who
thought the scientists with their strange equipment had come to
dismantle the Sun and take it away! Luckily for the scientists, the
Sun reappeared, of course, and the tribesmen were reassured of their
intentions.
THE 1999 TOTAL ECLIPSE
OF THE SUN
On the morning of Wednesday 11th August 1999, a total eclipse of
the Sun will be visible from the south-western part of England, the
Scilly Isles and the Channel Island of Alderney. Totality will last
up to 2mins 06secs. The path of totality will actually begin at
sunrise in the south of Nova Scotia, moving across the Atlantic, the
English Channel, Cherbourg Peninsula, Northern France, touching
Belgium, Luxembourg and southern Germany. It eventualy ends at sunset
over the Bay of Bengal.
In Jersey and Guernsey a 'partial eclipse' will be observable.
Although not in the path of totality, the eclipse as viewed from
Jersey and Guernsey should be well worthy of your attention and time:
weather conditions permiting of course.
For a total eclipse to be witnessed obscuration must be complete.
'Obscuration' is the fraction of the surface of the Solar Disk
covered by the Moon, and takes a maximum value of 'one' during
totality, as will be observable from Alderney. However, when viewed
from St. Peter Port in Guernsey, obscuration will still reach a
maximum of 0.999%. In other words 99.9% of the Sun will be obscured
by the Moon as seen from St. Peter Port Guernsey. From St. Helier
Jersey, the percentage of obscuration of the Solar Disk reaches a
maximum of 99.3%. This difference is due to the fact that Jersey is
slightly further south of the path of totality than Guernsey is.
Therefore, although a 'total eclipse of the Sun' will not be seen
from Jersey or Guernsey, there will certainly be every reason to
expect a nonetheless spectacular phenomena on the day!
ECLIPSE TIMES FOR
JERSEY, GUERNSEY, AND ALDERNEY.
August 11 1999
(all times are BST)
St. Helier. -- First Contact Max.
Eclipse. Eclipse Ends.
Jersey -- 09:59:14am. 11:16:02am
12:37:28pm
St.Peter Port
Guernsey -- 09:59:01am 11:15:32am
12:36:42pm
St.Anne.
Alderney -- 09:59:37am 11:16:08am
12:37:12pm
The shadow area shows path
of totality
It will be seen from the above that the full period of this
eclipse, from begining (first contact) till the end (fourth contact)
lasts approximately 2hours 38minutes, though the actual term of
totality will be approximately 2minutes 06seconds.
Except for a total solar eclipse which occured on June 30th 1954,
which was just visible in the northernmost tip of the Shetland
Islands, The last total eclipse of the Sun that was visible from the
United Kingdom took place 72 years ago! on June 29th 1927. The 1927
eclipse lasted only 25 seconds at totality, and was observable from a
piece of land just 50 kilometres wide!
As there is no total solar eclipse in the year 2000, the August
11th 1999 eclipse is the 'Millennium Eclipse', being the last one of
this century. The above statistics alone demonstrate the magnitude of
importance attached to the coming eclipse of August.
UNDERSTANDING AN
ECLIPSE
A Full Moon is witnessed when the Sun and Moon are diametrically
opposite each other in the sky: they are said to be in 'opposition'.
When the Sun and Moon lie in the same direction there is a New Moon:
they are said to be in 'conjunction. During the course of the year
there are occasions when the Sun, Earth and Moon are in alignment,
and at such times, one body will cast a shadow onto the other causing
an eclipse.
If the orbits of the Earth and the Moon were in the same plane
every Full Moon and New Moon would be a Lunar and Solar eclipse
respectively. However, the orbital plane of the Moon is inclined at 5
degrees to that of the Earth, and so the frequency with which these
alignments takes place is greatly reduced. For an eclipse to occur
the Moon has to be close to one of two points where the orbital
planes of the Earth and Moon intersect, ( These points are called the
'Nodes' ) and it has to be there at New Moon or Full Moon.
If the New Moon is at either of these intersections then a Solar
Eclipse will take place. If a Full Moon is at one of the points, a
Lunar Eclipse occurs.
COINCIDENCE?
One of the cosmic wonders of a total Solar Eclipse is that it
happens at all!
The Moon's diameter is 400 times smaller than the Sun, and yet the
Moon is able to almost entirely block out the blazing light of our
Sun! The reason for this is that the Sun is actually 400 times
further from Earth than the Moon. This cosmic 'coincidence' means
that on average the two luminaries appear to have similar sizes in
the sky, a unique occurrence in our Solar System.
Solar Eclipses would always be 'total' if the orbits of the Earth
and Moon were circular, because the relative distances between the
Earth and the Sun and the Earth and the Moon would be constant.
However, their orbits are like elongated circles, or ellipses. Thus,
the apparent angular diameter of the Sun varies by approximately 2%
and that of the Moon by 8%. So, if a Sun, Moon, Earth alignment
occurs when the Moon is further than it's average distance from Earth
(384,000kilometres) it's apparent diameter is insufficient to
completely obscure the Sun. In such a case, a bright ring of sunlight
is seen around the Moon and the eclipse is known as an 'Annular
Eclipse'.
If the Moon is closer to Earth than it's average distance when an
alignment occurs, a Total Eclipse is experienced.
THE SHADOW
ZONE
The Sun produces two main shadows at
eclipse: The Umbra and Penumbra.
In the area of the Umbral shadow, no light from the Sun can be
observed, and those people within the small portion of the Earth's
surface where the Umbra touches will experience a Total Eclipse (eg.
Alderney). Those in the area of the Penumbral shadow will see a
Partial Eclipse. The closer one is to the Umbral shadow, the more
complete the experience of totality will be, and it is for this
reason that we in the Channel Islands of Jersey, and especially
Guernsey, have a good vantage point, even though we are outside of
the path of totality.
Because all of the bodies are in motion, the shadows move quite
rapidly across the face of the Earth from west to east. This movement
of the shadow is known as the 'path of totality'.
THE VISUAL
EXPERIENCE
As the eclipse begins we will observe what is known as 'first
contact': this is the point when the Moon begins to obscure the Sun's
surface and a dark crescent appears on the edge of the brilliant
solar disk. This phase moves on progressively until more and more of
the surface of the Sun becomes 'swallowed' by the Moon's dark arc.
This is known as the 'partial phase' and lasts approximately 1 hour
or so. What follows is 'second contact', when the Sun is hidden by
the Moon and all that can be seen is a thin ring of silvery light
around the edge of the Moon.
Just before totality, this threadlike halo of brilliant light
begins to break up into subtle blobs of light known as Baily's Beads.
Understanding the causes of this effect can greatly enhance the
visual experience. These 'beads' of light are actually the final
dazzling flashes of solar light as it cuts it's way between some of
the larger mountains on the eastern limb of the Lunar surface. The
high peaks of these Moon-Mountains are punctuating the continuity of
the brilliant solar arc. Within a few seconds or so the beads
disappear, except for just one, and the Sun's corona becomes visible
as a beautiful, pearly white ring. The final blazing bead of the
Sun's photosphere is seen exploding through the lunar valleys, and
this, in conjunction with the thin ring of pearly light, brings
understanding to the reason for naming this visual delight,
"The Diamond Ring Effect". Within a few seconds more this
experience is over and the corona comes into full view. Totality has
now begun.
TOTALITY
( the shortest night on Earth
)
As totality approaches, the Moon's ominous shadow approaches from
the west like the building of storm-clouds on the horizon. The sky
begins to darken, the temperature drops, and the behaviour of
animals, birds, plants and other creatures is affected as they react
to the increasing darkness. Even with their highly attuned natural
senses which we so often hold in awe, they respond instinctively as
they do to nightfall. Either nature itself is fooled by this cosmic
event, or something is happening which we are not yet able to
understand.
Throughout the short period of totality the whole of the horizon
colours itself akin to sunset. A purple hue may engulf the sky from
the direction of the approaching Moon's shadow. At the point of
totality bright stars and planets become visible. The Sun's corona
blazes in all directions away from it's source.
As the Sun is expected to be close to maximum activity this year,
a quite spectacular display is expected, with the coronal gases bound
into streamers by the magnetic field of the Sun and extending far
into space from their source-point. If the solar activity is great
enough we may be witness to 'prominences' : Enormous arcs of pinkish
gas which emit from the corona and chromosphere.
As totality passes we reach what is known as 'third contact'. The
visual displays described above can now be observed in reverse order.
The eclipse finishes as the dark disk of the Moon reaches 'fourth
contact' and disappears.
Back here on planet Earth the Moon's shadow can be seen moving
towards the eastern horizon. The show is over for us.
ECLIPSES IN
ASTROLOGY
As far back as ancient Babylonian times, solar eclipses have been
seen to be potentially dangerous omens for the leaders of men. The
symbolism connected with these two most important celestial bodies is
as follows:-
In simplified terms, the Sun symbolises Monarchs, great rulers,
perhaps even powerful business tychoons in modern times, who have as
much influence over our lives as rulers of the past did. The Moon
represents the Public.
The Sun is Male, Regal, Proud and Rational, while the Moon is
Female, Emotional, Intuitive and Irrational.
The symbolism of the solar eclipse thus takes on the picture of
that of the Moon (emotion etc) taking over and overpowering the
standard, logical, down-to earth world in which we normally live.
Although the powerful, burning and decisive masculine ambition (Sun)
may rule in the main, there are times when the subtle, emotional and
intuitive female energies (Moon) can subdue those symbolised by the
Sun.
NOSTRADAMUS
There has been so much written of late regarding the prophesies of
Nostradamus in relation to the August eclipse, that I feel inclined
to pass little comment on the matter. There have been many newspaper
articles, cleverly written, which have exploited the power of the
moment. Much ridicule and humour have been piled onto the
'interpretations' of his quatrains for the quick-fix glory of the
authors who appear to have little or no real knowledge of what they
are writing about, save for that gleaned at the eleventh hour from
various books, interviews and no doubt the internet.
I myself am neither a great believer in Nostradamus nor a
disbeliever: I remain open-minded and interested in his writings. I
do not see the point in criticizing the man for the misinterpretation
of his work by others:
For those interested, the current, relevant quatrain from
Nostradamus' book "Les Propheties" is as follows:
"L' an mil neuf cens nonante neuf sept
mois,
Du ciel viendra un grand roi
deffraieur.
Resusciter le grand Roi d'Angolmois.
Avant que Mars regner par bon heur.
A literal translation.
"The year thousand nine hundreds ninety nine
seven months
From the sky will come the great King of
terror
To give back life to the great King of
Angolmois.
Before after Mars to reign by good
fortune."
Many apocalyptic interpretations have been placed on this
quatrain, ranging from comets or asteroids bombarding our planet, to
the fall to earth of the Russian Mir Spacestation, or a similar
occurence involving the space-probe Cassini (loaded with Plutonium!)
as it makes an Earth 'flyby' a few days after the eclipse on its way
to the planet Saturn. Further conflict involving Saddam Hussein has
been speculated upon and the collapse of Rupert Murdoch's business
empire has been suggested.
(in the quatrain 'Roi deffraieur' = King of terror, may be
re-interpreted.
By playing with the French language a little we can get
'defrayeur' = King of amusement/entertainment).
I would prefer to investigate the thoughts and predictions
relating to the coming eclipse, that might prevail in the land of the
Tahitians at this point in time.(see begining section of this
article). I would be willing to accept any offer of a fully, all
expenses paid trip there, in order to do the necessary research work
-- in the name of science you understand!
One thing I did predict, in 1989, was the discovery of three 'Life-Force Centers'
on the Moon. I predicted these would be uncovered this year, 1999, around the time of August,
when the Grand Cross formation (astrological planetary configuration) occurred in the signs of
Aquarius (man) Leo (lion) Taurus (bull) Scorpio (eagle). The prophet Ezekiel's Biblical vision
mentions the 'living creatures' who had four faces: the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle.
Already this year there have been two life-force centers found on the Moon! ie. two regions where
substantial quantities of water have been discovered!! hitherto utterly unexpected on this so-called 'barren world'.
I wonder what the third life-force center will be?
For now however, I have taken a look through a slightly less
gloomy window than Nostradamus did, into the future, albeit less
colourful, romantic and happy than that of the Tahitians!
FUTURE FINANCIAL
TRENDS
Let's by-pass the threats of war and pestilence and examine the
potential threat to our money markets which the Millennium Eclipse
poses.
One of the most powerful timing mechanisms used for tracking
market trends is the 'eclipse'. Although it has suffered centuries of
'bad press', which have left it with a distinctly dubious reputation
and public image, the eclipse is not all bad. Sometimes the eclipse
can signify market upturns as well as falls. Much depends on the
astrological chart erected for the formation of the company one is
looking into, though such details must be left out of this article
due to the complexity of their nature. Here we shall take a short
look at the effects of eclipses in general, followed by an analysis
specifically aimed at the coming eclipse of August.
A powerful example of how eclipses work as a trigger for stock
market trends occurred on August 1990 during a lunar eclipse that
year. Eclipses can exert their strongest effects when they lock into
existing planetary configurations, as they did at that time. I shall
avoid the technical details only to say that, as the eclipse formed,
the UK market began to fall. As the eclipse came closer to exactitude
the fall reached collapse -- the UK market was down 60 points. When
the eclipse passed maximum point of intensity the market suddenly
stopped falling, and a minor rally ensured recovery to a certain
degree. However, it still finished 64 points down on the day.
An eclipse is a global phenomenon, and so world markets,
especially the New York Stock Exchange, were also affected. Dow-Jones
was down 160 points at the peak of eclipse power and although there
was a recovery as in London it still finished well down at the end of
the day.
As mentioned, eclipses, thankfully, do not always spell disaster,
and may also signify a sudden rise as well as a fall. The charts of
individual companies must be examined to determine the individual
outcome. Positive eclipse/planetary aspects in the chart created for
the formation of a company may bring positive results also.
The chart for the coming eclipse of August 11th suggests you
should watch the market carefully however. Planetary configurations
which will be triggered by the onset of the solar eclipse could
signify some fairly dramatic events in the stock markets throughout
the world. These planetary aspects are difficult to explain in
layman's terms and it is probably better not to try to explain them
here. One thing seems almost certain though , and that is, that they
create a combination of 'energies' that is known from experience to
bring trouble to the World's markets. Planetary configurations
between Mercury and Neptune suggest confusion in trading and
communication, while the positioning of Mars and Saturn may indicate
political as well as economic difficulties for Moscow.
Having painted a rather gloomy background to the picture I should
add here that, it is generally thought that a major recession is
unlikely this side of the Millennium. Financial astrology is not
concerned with fated, unchangable events, but with the potentials and
probabilities that exist. Astrology is a tool and not an infallable
guide-map to the future.
Peter McBrearty DMS.Astrol.
July 1999.
"may the long time Sun
shine upon you, ... all love surround you,... and the bright light
within you,... guide you all the way on"
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"keep watching the skys"
..........Something akin to 'Panic' swept throughout the country! Throughout the area, the poor had thrown away their possessions and, casting themselves to the ground on their backs with their eyes toward Heaven, prayed most passionately that Christ would let them see the Sun again and save them. The 'financial armour' of the rich offered no more protection than the cloak of God-fearing humility worn by the poor, except that, being less easily separated from their precious belongings, they loaded their coaches and fled from London in fear. All the while, Mountbanks seemed to do a roaring trade in special cordials which were expected to dispel the effects of this ominous event. -- (More than ever perhaps it was shown that "It is an ill wind that blows 'nobody' any good"! )
The event ? --- "Black Munday", the 29th day of March 1652, when the Sun was eclipsed in the 19th degree of Aries at 10:30am in London.
In far off China and Thailand the responsibility for devouring the Sun was laid firmly at the feet of the Dragon -- However, closer inspection of what is often considered to be a pagan and ignorant belief shows that, in China, the Moon's Nodes are called the Dragon's head (north node) and the Dragon's tail (south node). The Moon's Nodes are the points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic (the path of the Earth around the Sun) and it is only when the Moon is close to one of these points that a total eclipse can occur.
The North American Indians blamed the dogs and coyotes, and the South American Indians believed it to be the fault of jaguars. In Africa and Indonesia, snakes were held responsible, whereas in India, more accurately, it was Rahu and Ketu (Indian names for the North and South Nodes).
In Tahiti, there was a less malevolent view, and a more romanticised vision of this heavenly conjunction. They apparently believed that the light of heaven was obscured as the Sun and Moon came together to make love and so give birth to the stars! This seems to me to show an interesting difference in the cultural psychology of such a nation, having a predilection for such peaceful imagery as opposed to the more disturbing and warlike interpretations posed in Europe and other places in general.
In these modern times of enlightenment (?) eclipses of the Sun and Moon come and go with little more than a ripple of excitement outside of the astrological and astronomical communities, (absolute knowledge conquers absolute fear?) though there is more interest stirred in the areas where the actual eclipse is visible, and certainly more if the eclipse is 'total' and involves the obscuration of the sun, - a 'Total Eclipse of the Sun'! probably the most wonderous natural event we can witness in the cosmos with the naked eye.
Although eclipses are of special interest to astrologers and astronomers they also demand the attention of biologists, anthropologists, and other scientists, because of the observable effects they have on the vegetable, animal, and human kingdoms.
As the ominous presence of the Moon's dark disk moves slowly across the face of our life-giving Sun, almost obscuring it's fiery glare completely at totality, darkness falls. Stars and planets appear in the sky! flowers which normaly close by night and open by day react by closing their petals; birds go to roost and animals often bed down for the night. As the point of totality ends and the Moon's dark disk slips forward, you may be able to hear the cock crow as it welcomes the start of the 'new day'.
Nature itself seems to be fooled!
On June 30th, 1973, a group of British, French, and American scientists boarded the super-jet Concorde. They were armed with the most advanced equipment of the day as they set out to witness and record one of the longest eclipses of the century. The totality of this eclipse lasted 7mins 4secs. and won't recur until June 25th 2150.
(The coming August 11th 1999 eclipse will last up to 2mins 06secs at totality as viewed from Alderney).
Being on board the plane they were able to follow the track of the eclipse and study the obscuration of the Sun for 70mins. Anthropologists on land made the trek to the shores of Lake Rudolph in Africa to observe the reactions of the El Molo tribe who live there. This did not go down too well with the natives however, who thought the scientists with their strange equipment had come to dismantle the Sun and take it away! Luckily for the scientists, the Sun reappeared, of course, and the tribesmen were reassured of their intentions.
On the morning of Wednesday 11th August 1999, a total eclipse of the Sun will be visible from the south-western part of England, the Scilly Isles and the Channel Island of Alderney. Totality will last up to 2mins 06secs. The path of totality will actually begin at sunrise in the south of Nova Scotia, moving across the Atlantic, the English Channel, Cherbourg Peninsula, Northern France, touching Belgium, Luxembourg and southern Germany. It eventualy ends at sunset over the Bay of Bengal.
In Jersey and Guernsey a 'partial eclipse' will be observable. Although not in the path of totality, the eclipse as viewed from Jersey and Guernsey should be well worthy of your attention and time: weather conditions permiting of course.
For a total eclipse to be witnessed obscuration must be complete. 'Obscuration' is the fraction of the surface of the Solar Disk covered by the Moon, and takes a maximum value of 'one' during totality, as will be observable from Alderney. However, when viewed from St. Peter Port in Guernsey, obscuration will still reach a maximum of 0.999%. In other words 99.9% of the Sun will be obscured by the Moon as seen from St. Peter Port Guernsey. From St. Helier Jersey, the percentage of obscuration of the Solar Disk reaches a maximum of 99.3%. This difference is due to the fact that Jersey is slightly further south of the path of totality than Guernsey is.
Therefore, although a 'total eclipse of the Sun' will not be seen from Jersey or Guernsey, there will certainly be every reason to expect a nonetheless spectacular phenomena on the day!
Jersey -- 09:59:14am. 11:16:02am 12:37:28pm
St.Peter Port
Guernsey -- 09:59:01am 11:15:32am 12:36:42pm
St.Anne.
Alderney -- 09:59:37am 11:16:08am 12:37:12pm
It will be seen from the above that the full period of this eclipse, from begining (first contact) till the end (fourth contact) lasts approximately 2hours 38minutes, though the actual term of totality will be approximately 2minutes 06seconds.
Except for a total solar eclipse which occured on June 30th 1954, which was just visible in the northernmost tip of the Shetland Islands, The last total eclipse of the Sun that was visible from the United Kingdom took place 72 years ago! on June 29th 1927. The 1927 eclipse lasted only 25 seconds at totality, and was observable from a piece of land just 50 kilometres wide!
As there is no total solar eclipse in the year 2000, the August 11th 1999 eclipse is the 'Millennium Eclipse', being the last one of this century. The above statistics alone demonstrate the magnitude of importance attached to the coming eclipse of August.
A Full Moon is witnessed when the Sun and Moon are diametrically opposite each other in the sky: they are said to be in 'opposition'. When the Sun and Moon lie in the same direction there is a New Moon: they are said to be in 'conjunction. During the course of the year there are occasions when the Sun, Earth and Moon are in alignment, and at such times, one body will cast a shadow onto the other causing an eclipse.
If the orbits of the Earth and the Moon were in the same plane every Full Moon and New Moon would be a Lunar and Solar eclipse respectively. However, the orbital plane of the Moon is inclined at 5 degrees to that of the Earth, and so the frequency with which these alignments takes place is greatly reduced. For an eclipse to occur the Moon has to be close to one of two points where the orbital planes of the Earth and Moon intersect, ( These points are called the 'Nodes' ) and it has to be there at New Moon or Full Moon.
If the New Moon is at either of these intersections then a Solar Eclipse will take place. If a Full Moon is at one of the points, a Lunar Eclipse occurs.
One of the cosmic wonders of a total Solar Eclipse is that it happens at all!
The Moon's diameter is 400 times smaller than the Sun, and yet the Moon is able to almost entirely block out the blazing light of our Sun! The reason for this is that the Sun is actually 400 times further from Earth than the Moon. This cosmic 'coincidence' means that on average the two luminaries appear to have similar sizes in the sky, a unique occurrence in our Solar System.
Solar Eclipses would always be 'total' if the orbits of the Earth and Moon were circular, because the relative distances between the Earth and the Sun and the Earth and the Moon would be constant. However, their orbits are like elongated circles, or ellipses. Thus, the apparent angular diameter of the Sun varies by approximately 2% and that of the Moon by 8%. So, if a Sun, Moon, Earth alignment occurs when the Moon is further than it's average distance from Earth (384,000kilometres) it's apparent diameter is insufficient to completely obscure the Sun. In such a case, a bright ring of sunlight is seen around the Moon and the eclipse is known as an 'Annular Eclipse'.
If the Moon is closer to Earth than it's average distance when an alignment occurs, a Total Eclipse is experienced.
In the area of the Umbral shadow, no light from the Sun can be observed, and those people within the small portion of the Earth's surface where the Umbra touches will experience a Total Eclipse (eg. Alderney). Those in the area of the Penumbral shadow will see a Partial Eclipse. The closer one is to the Umbral shadow, the more complete the experience of totality will be, and it is for this reason that we in the Channel Islands of Jersey, and especially Guernsey, have a good vantage point, even though we are outside of the path of totality.
Because all of the bodies are in motion, the shadows move quite rapidly across the face of the Earth from west to east. This movement of the shadow is known as the 'path of totality'.
As the eclipse begins we will observe what is known as 'first contact': this is the point when the Moon begins to obscure the Sun's surface and a dark crescent appears on the edge of the brilliant solar disk. This phase moves on progressively until more and more of the surface of the Sun becomes 'swallowed' by the Moon's dark arc. This is known as the 'partial phase' and lasts approximately 1 hour or so. What follows is 'second contact', when the Sun is hidden by the Moon and all that can be seen is a thin ring of silvery light around the edge of the Moon.
Just before totality, this threadlike halo of brilliant light begins to break up into subtle blobs of light known as Baily's Beads. Understanding the causes of this effect can greatly enhance the visual experience. These 'beads' of light are actually the final dazzling flashes of solar light as it cuts it's way between some of the larger mountains on the eastern limb of the Lunar surface. The high peaks of these Moon-Mountains are punctuating the continuity of the brilliant solar arc. Within a few seconds or so the beads disappear, except for just one, and the Sun's corona becomes visible as a beautiful, pearly white ring. The final blazing bead of the Sun's photosphere is seen exploding through the lunar valleys, and this, in conjunction with the thin ring of pearly light, brings understanding to the reason for naming this visual delight,
"The Diamond Ring Effect". Within a few seconds more this experience is over and the corona comes into full view. Totality has now begun.
As totality approaches, the Moon's ominous shadow approaches from the west like the building of storm-clouds on the horizon. The sky begins to darken, the temperature drops, and the behaviour of animals, birds, plants and other creatures is affected as they react to the increasing darkness. Even with their highly attuned natural senses which we so often hold in awe, they respond instinctively as they do to nightfall. Either nature itself is fooled by this cosmic event, or something is happening which we are not yet able to understand.
Throughout the short period of totality the whole of the horizon colours itself akin to sunset. A purple hue may engulf the sky from the direction of the approaching Moon's shadow. At the point of totality bright stars and planets become visible. The Sun's corona blazes in all directions away from it's source.
As the Sun is expected to be close to maximum activity this year, a quite spectacular display is expected, with the coronal gases bound into streamers by the magnetic field of the Sun and extending far into space from their source-point. If the solar activity is great enough we may be witness to 'prominences' : Enormous arcs of pinkish gas which emit from the corona and chromosphere.
As totality passes we reach what is known as 'third contact'. The visual displays described above can now be observed in reverse order. The eclipse finishes as the dark disk of the Moon reaches 'fourth contact' and disappears.
Back here on planet Earth the Moon's shadow can be seen moving towards the eastern horizon. The show is over for us.
As far back as ancient Babylonian times, solar eclipses have been seen to be potentially dangerous omens for the leaders of men. The symbolism connected with these two most important celestial bodies is as follows:-
In simplified terms, the Sun symbolises Monarchs, great rulers, perhaps even powerful business tychoons in modern times, who have as much influence over our lives as rulers of the past did. The Moon represents the Public.
The Sun is Male, Regal, Proud and Rational, while the Moon is Female, Emotional, Intuitive and Irrational.
The symbolism of the solar eclipse thus takes on the picture of that of the Moon (emotion etc) taking over and overpowering the standard, logical, down-to earth world in which we normally live. Although the powerful, burning and decisive masculine ambition (Sun) may rule in the main, there are times when the subtle, emotional and intuitive female energies (Moon) can subdue those symbolised by the Sun.
There has been so much written of late regarding the prophesies of Nostradamus in relation to the August eclipse, that I feel inclined to pass little comment on the matter. There have been many newspaper articles, cleverly written, which have exploited the power of the moment. Much ridicule and humour have been piled onto the 'interpretations' of his quatrains for the quick-fix glory of the authors who appear to have little or no real knowledge of what they are writing about, save for that gleaned at the eleventh hour from various books, interviews and no doubt the internet.
I myself am neither a great believer in Nostradamus nor a disbeliever: I remain open-minded and interested in his writings. I do not see the point in criticizing the man for the misinterpretation of his work by others:
For those interested, the current, relevant quatrain from Nostradamus' book "Les Propheties" is as follows:
"L' an mil neuf cens nonante neuf sept mois,
Du ciel viendra un grand roi deffraieur.
Resusciter le grand Roi d'Angolmois.
Avant que Mars regner par bon heur.
A literal translation.
"The year thousand nine hundreds ninety nine seven months
From the sky will come the great King of terror
To give back life to the great King of Angolmois.
Before after Mars to reign by good fortune."
Many apocalyptic interpretations have been placed on this quatrain, ranging from comets or asteroids bombarding our planet, to the fall to earth of the Russian Mir Spacestation, or a similar occurence involving the space-probe Cassini (loaded with Plutonium!) as it makes an Earth 'flyby' a few days after the eclipse on its way to the planet Saturn. Further conflict involving Saddam Hussein has been speculated upon and the collapse of Rupert Murdoch's business empire has been suggested.
(in the quatrain 'Roi deffraieur' = King of terror, may be re-interpreted.
By playing with the French language a little we can get 'defrayeur' = King of amusement/entertainment).
I would prefer to investigate the thoughts and predictions relating to the coming eclipse, that might prevail in the land of the Tahitians at this point in time.(see begining section of this article). I would be willing to accept any offer of a fully, all expenses paid trip there, in order to do the necessary research work -- in the name of science you understand!
One thing I did predict, in 1989, was the discovery of three 'Life-Force Centers' on the Moon. I predicted these would be uncovered this year, 1999, around the time of August, when the Grand Cross formation (astrological planetary configuration) occurred in the signs of Aquarius (man) Leo (lion) Taurus (bull) Scorpio (eagle). The prophet Ezekiel's Biblical vision mentions the 'living creatures' who had four faces: the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. Already this year there have been two life-force centers found on the Moon! ie. two regions where substantial quantities of water have been discovered!! hitherto utterly unexpected on this so-called 'barren world'. I wonder what the third life-force center will be?
For now however, I have taken a look through a slightly less gloomy window than Nostradamus did, into the future, albeit less colourful, romantic and happy than that of the Tahitians!
Let's by-pass the threats of war and pestilence and examine the potential threat to our money markets which the Millennium Eclipse poses.
One of the most powerful timing mechanisms used for tracking market trends is the 'eclipse'. Although it has suffered centuries of 'bad press', which have left it with a distinctly dubious reputation and public image, the eclipse is not all bad. Sometimes the eclipse can signify market upturns as well as falls. Much depends on the astrological chart erected for the formation of the company one is looking into, though such details must be left out of this article due to the complexity of their nature. Here we shall take a short look at the effects of eclipses in general, followed by an analysis specifically aimed at the coming eclipse of August.
A powerful example of how eclipses work as a trigger for stock market trends occurred on August 1990 during a lunar eclipse that year. Eclipses can exert their strongest effects when they lock into existing planetary configurations, as they did at that time. I shall avoid the technical details only to say that, as the eclipse formed, the UK market began to fall. As the eclipse came closer to exactitude the fall reached collapse -- the UK market was down 60 points. When the eclipse passed maximum point of intensity the market suddenly stopped falling, and a minor rally ensured recovery to a certain degree. However, it still finished 64 points down on the day.
An eclipse is a global phenomenon, and so world markets, especially the New York Stock Exchange, were also affected. Dow-Jones was down 160 points at the peak of eclipse power and although there was a recovery as in London it still finished well down at the end of the day.
As mentioned, eclipses, thankfully, do not always spell disaster, and may also signify a sudden rise as well as a fall. The charts of individual companies must be examined to determine the individual outcome. Positive eclipse/planetary aspects in the chart created for the formation of a company may bring positive results also.
The chart for the coming eclipse of August 11th suggests you should watch the market carefully however. Planetary configurations which will be triggered by the onset of the solar eclipse could signify some fairly dramatic events in the stock markets throughout the world. These planetary aspects are difficult to explain in layman's terms and it is probably better not to try to explain them here. One thing seems almost certain though , and that is, that they create a combination of 'energies' that is known from experience to bring trouble to the World's markets. Planetary configurations between Mercury and Neptune suggest confusion in trading and communication, while the positioning of Mars and Saturn may indicate political as well as economic difficulties for Moscow.
Having painted a rather gloomy background to the picture I should add here that, it is generally thought that a major recession is unlikely this side of the Millennium. Financial astrology is not concerned with fated, unchangable events, but with the potentials and probabilities that exist. Astrology is a tool and not an infallable guide-map to the future.
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