• The Sun, the central body in our Solar System, is a Star ~ a huge ball of fusing hydrogen & helium. Unimaginably great waves of energy are continually radiated outward. Scientists have estimated that the Sunshine that falls on the Earth in a small portion of a single day actually carries enough energy to power our world-wide civilization for an entire year, if we knew how to use it efficiently.
• The temperature at the surface of the Sun is about 5,600 ℃ (Celsius) / 10,000 ℉ (Fahrenheit).
  The temperature inside the Sun is estimated to be much hotter ~ about 15,000,000 ℃ / 27,000,000 ℉.
  Our Sun has an 11-year cycle of solar activity. At times dark sunspots appear as regions of relative coolness on the surface.
• On the Sun, there are vibrations that ring like a bell! He Sings!
  The Sun spins. There are several distinct latitudinal regions that rotate at various speeds. He Dances!
  The Sun flings out into space huge electro-magnetic flares that can even affect us here on Earth.
  The beautiful aurorae at the North and South poles appear when the solar wind caresses and interacts with the Earth's upper atmosphere and magnetic field.
• A Question of Stellar Formation
  It is thought that, over the eons, Stars like our Sun gradually create in their centers solid cores of fused elements.
  Do these cores become planets when stars exhaust their hydrogen and cease the major processes of fusion?
  Are stars the childhood form of planets? Are planets the adult form of stars?
  Do planets wander around in families and form new stars in their barycenters when they browse and feed in hydrogen nebulae? Do families of planets give birth to new stars?
  Is this the reason that the atmospheres of the 4 gas giants are mostly hydrogen and helium? Are their thick clouds the gases that remained after their fusion stopped?
  Is Jupiter, which is still radiating heat and radio energy, the youngest adult planet in our system of worlds?
  Is our Sun the newest child of our ancient family of worlds?

The Sun rules The Lion / The Dragon

• Identity  • Strength  • Integrity  • Warmth  • Pleasure  • Joys & Sorrows  • Creativity  • Arts  • Music & Dance  • Comedy & Drama  • Giving  • Instinctive Affection  • Happiness  • Focus of Love  •

☯ Yang The Sun is the Yang analogue to Earth•Moon which is Yin and Rules the Crab / Rabbit / Cat.

The Sun, The Heart, is the Principle that Integrates our own parts together and also integrates our World into us and makes our Impression upon the World. The Sun Enlivens the System. He Sings! Our Hearts are our engines for Life.

With the dimension of Leo, we become aware that we are more than our individual ego, that indeed, we are animated by the Source of Life within each of us. Leo people (Sun, Moon) are naturally prepared to easily become aware of their Universal Spirit, "I AM".

Leo people really do have an understanding of the 'Heart of the Matter'. They know how to see what is Simple and True. From a very young age, they will be interested to know that those around them are happy.

"One can only see well with the Heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes."
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery ( ☉ ♋︎ ☽ ♌︎ )

When we are with our favorite people, with those we love, our hearts may grow excited and beat faster, stronger and more steadily, bringing our entire being into synchrony to be present for the relationships, complete with Tears and Laughter.

"The Heart wants what the Heart wants!"

Out in the world, Leos simply know how to be themselves and to feel good. They therefore inspire others to be themselves and to feel good. Leos see the BIG PICTURE.

Although they are usually calm and collected, Leos are also naturally the central figures in any group, the ring-masters. People often gravitate around them looking for their attention. They are natural royalty! In a happy society you will see Leos who share their light and strength with everyone around them.

At work, Leo people know how to clearly identify everyone's best abilities. They can clearly see everyone else's talents. They can easily delegate tasks to those who are most suitable and most interested and most able to complete each task with the best results. The Leos help inspire the best contributions from everyone.

You may know sulky Leos. You may know mean or even cruel Leos. Their unhappy condition is an indicator of the failures of our fearful, narcissistic societies and civilization. This twisted characteristic of the human personality makes an unhappy mockery of the Leo sign-dimension. If the natural expression of love was somehow subverted, then the energy of the Leo may be shown as harsh interactions with others.
If you care about a troubled Leo and wish to help, just remember that they respond to people who exemplify love and respect together with strength. They also respond very well to genuine appreciation.

• Mercury has a highly elliptical orbit. There is about 34% difference between the closest point and the furthest point in the orbit.
• In 1919 the orbit of the planet Mercury provided evidence to support Einstein's Theory of Relativity by illustrating that space was curved by the immense amount of mass and energy of the Sun.
  Mercury & Einstein's Gravity
  Mercury & Relativity
• Even though the planet revolves around the Sun very quickly (88 days), it rotates on its axis very slowly (58 days). On Mercury, a Day is ⅔ of a Mercurial Year!
• The average temperature on Mercury is about 167 ℃ / 333 ℉. However,, there is no real atmosphere to circulate the solar radiation and heat. This means that during Mercury's long day, the day side slowly bakes in the Sun's radiation while the night side is freezing.
• Surprisingly, Mercury is closest to all the planets, when measured over time!
• The Perihelion of Mercury precesses quicker than that of the other planets. Currently (2024) the perihelion happens around December 20th.

Mercury rules The Pair / The Tiger.

• Perception  • Movement  • Flexibility  • Adaptability  • Duality  • Speed  • Communication  • Messages  • Curiosity  • Exploration  • Research  • Learning  •

☯ Yang Mercury is the Yang analogue to Ceres which is Yin and Rules Virgo.

The Pair are present in perception. So many creatures have paired organs of perception - two or more symmetrically placed eyes and ears. These are the primary organs of perception and inside the ears, organs of perception of balance. Separated pairs of organs give us the ability to determine direction of the source of perceived information - left right, up down, forward or behind. These fundamental functions let us know where we are in relation to everything else in our environment.

Learning is a pleasure. Researchers have found that all creatures with brains experience pleasure when learning. The 'pleasure centers' of the brain light up when a person, a dog, a cat or even a mouse learns something new! To discourage this ought to be a crime!

Gemini people (Sun/Moon) clearly recognize inherent dualities in life. They have a strong ability to see into multiple sides of any situation. Relating events and telling captivating stories are talents shared by most Geminis.

Gemini people (Sun, Moon) are usually highly perceptive, quick-witted and clever, whether they are teachers, inventors, mathematicians or engineers. Many Geminis become gifted and successful Authors, Doctors, Scientists, Actors, Musicians and even Lawyers! Geminis are also famous for skilled Detective work. They often have Heroic styles. In wartime, Geminis have been successful Spies. (Ian Fleming, Josephine Baker)

People who have a Gemini Dimension that is well connected to their previous path of Venus and Taurus will have a healthy respect for integrity and consistency even in the face of duality that they so easily perceive. They are often quite funny and playful.
When Gemini people (Sun, Moon) appreciate someone, they often make very charming, eloquent and memorable pronouncements or gestures. If you've done something to help a Gemini, they will let you know of their appreciation! Well said, Gemini!

One Challenge to the Pair is to cultivate a healthy balance between cooperation and competition in their relationships with others. A little Friendly Competition in a larger base of Cultivated Cooperation can lead to mutual appreciation and great achievements in a peaceful society. In contrast, unbridled competition without cooperation leads to arrogance, contempt, isolation and social disasters.

Another Challenge to the Pair is to discern and tell the Truth. Sometimes people need to lie to end or escape difficult situations. Unfortunately, some people also lie to gain something they think they could not acquire or achieve otherwise. However, in real life, even liars don't like it when they discover that someone has lied to them. Lies engender antipathy, resentment, hatred and revenge. Likewise, even thieves don't like it when others steal from them. Some people say that if you believe something that you say, then it isn't a lie. They say that they believe that truth is negotiable and can be fabricated or elected by consensus.

An Old Story from India of Four Blind Musicians and an Elephant ⬃

However, people with a well-developed Gemini dimension understand that the Truth is perceived, revealed and discovered, not negotiated, fabricated or elected by consensus. Additionally, they also know that there can be many valid and respectable perspectives on the way toward the Truth, as shown in the elephant's story above.
The Path of Gemini brings the fundamental and essential gifts of Perception, Movement, Communication, Learning and Thought. The principles represented by Gemini bring to us all the ability to discern Patterns and Reasoning that allows us to make sense of the world.

• By the ancient Greeks, the planet of Aphrodite was also called both Phosphorus and Hesperus. The Romans recognized Venus as both Lucifer and Vesper. Today, we still recognize Venus in her two roles as both the Morning Star and the Evening Star. Since she circles the Sun inside our own orbit, sometimes we see her rise before dawn and other times she sets after the Sun.
• Venus is almost as large as the Earth and her gravity is 90% of Earth 1G.
  She has a remarkably circular orbit! This 'close circle ratio' club includes Venus, Neptune, Earth, 2005-RN43 and Quaoar. The circular orbits then open a bit wider to include Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn, 2010-KZ39, Varuna and 2004-GV9. These circular orbits hint at the need for a more sophisticated understanding of gravity!
  Venus has no seasons, since the tilt of her axis is only 3° (like Jupiter).
  
• People speak of "Terraforming" some other worlds for us to inhabit. Terraforming Venus would be a major project for hundreds of years, but it could give us a true sister world, even though she would be a little warmer than our Earth!
  However, There are serious problems to solve ..
  
  • Venus has no moon. This is an important lack. If a moon could be assembled around Venus, this could help to establish and stabilize rotation and axial tilt. It could also help to awaken the magnetic field which would be helpful to amend the atmosphere. See the entry for Eros, the proposed moon of Venus, below.
  • Her extremely slow rotation is actually reversed. This world rotates very slowly, imperceptibly, in the reverse direction of her revolution around the Sun! If Venus were rolling on a track which was turning around the Sun, she would slowly move in the direction opposite to that of the track and all the other planets. In fact, a "Day" on Venus is longer than a Venusian Year! Venus has a very slight tilt of only 3°. In order to have seasons, the tilt would need to be increased.
  • Most likely due to the slooow daily rotation, there is practically no magnetic field. Venus does respond to solar wind, though.
  • Lastly, Venus is extremely hot, wrapped and collecting heat in a thick, very heavy hot-house atmosphere of 96% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen and some water vapor. The clouds are made of sulfuric acid and water. The atmospheric pressure is 92 bars, almost 100 times thicker than our atmosphere! This means that, at the surface, the air weighs a crushingly heavy 93.81 Kg/cm²! (1,334.34 psi - pounds/inch²). For comparison, our Earth's atmosphere weighs a paltry 14 lbs per square inch. And finally, "extremely hot" means that the average temperature of Venus is about 465 ℃ / 900 ℉. (Aagh! Love can be Hell..)
  So in order to Terraform Venus, there would be an enormous amount to learn, and it would involve many years of work,
  but we would be landscaping the solar system! Wouldn't a Sister World ⬃ be Amazing?!
  Videos of Terraforming Venus:         Venus 1    Venus 2    Venus 3

• A Moon would help to rotate the planet, activating the core, creating and strengthening magnetic fields. It could also set and stabilize an axial tilt to provide 4 seasons, like those on Earth. It would also help to periodically shade the planet from the Sun, reducing the amount of solar radiation and heat reaching the surface.
• Additionally, a Ring system would be most helpful to act as a parasol shading Venus from excessive solar radiation. Thousands of thin plates carved as polished slices of silicon glass rocks could float in orbit, reflecting excess sunshine away from the planet or even capturing the sunlight, converting and storing the energy. These Rings might seem like a perpetual rainbow or chandelier to the residents of Venus. Tiny moonlets could shepherd the rings with their gravity.
• Assembly of Venus' artificial moon and rings can incorporate rocks that cross the orbits of Earth and Venus, spare rocks orbiting Saturn, and other rocks from the Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud. The suggested diameter of Eros in relation to Venus echoes the proportion of Earth's Moon to the Earth ~ 27% of the planet's diameter. The suggested orbital period would give 13 moons in a year, like on Earth.
• While Venus spends an average period of about a month in a sign for us here on Earth, the Venusian moon would traverse each sign in a couple of days, while the Earth would spend about a month or so in each sign as it accompanies the Sun. This would greatly contrast with the movement of our moon which only spends a few days in each sign. Also while seen from Earth, Venus regularly moves retrograde, but when viewed from Venus, the Venusian moon would never go retrograde!

• The Earth, our Homeworld, rotates at a tilt of 23° off perpendicular to the Ecliptic, the plane of our revolution around the Sun.
  This tilt creates the Four Seasons.
• We have one beautiful large Dancing Moon.
  See Luna below for more details..
• Our Earth has a strong magnetic field.
  When we see the Northern or Southern Aurorae we are watching the solar wind caressing and interacting with our magnetic field.
  
• The average temperature of the Earth is about 15℃ / 59℉.
  The extreme temperatures range from the coldest of -88℃ / -126℉ to the hottest of 56℃ / 134℉.
• Our world is wrapped in an Atmosphere ⬃ of Nitrogen (79%) and Oxygen (18%) and a few other interesting and useful gases. The atmosphere spreads up from the surface of the Earth, weighing 14 lbs per square inch at Sea Level and gradually thinning out up to around 62 miles / 100 kilometers. Above that altitude is considered by the space programs to be 'Near Earth Space'. The atmosphere is constantly in motion with weather patterns driven largely by solar energy and moisture from the sea. Many animals fly and glide and jump around in this active atmosphere - insects, reptiles, birds, mammals and even a few fish! The atmosphere is also the region of lightning. All over the world flashes of lightning constantly illuminate the sky between the clouds and the earth. Are lightning flashes the 'thoughts' of our planet?
• 70% of Earth's surface is covered with Oceans ⬃ of liquid Water & Ice. The oceans are always shifting, pulled by the gravity of the Moon and Sun, warmed at the surface by sunshine and in the deep by hidden volcanic vents, whipped about at the surface by strong winds and powerfully moving in deep circulation currents. Many plants and animals live in the salty oceans and fresh water lakes and rivers! The plants include masses of tiny phytoplankton and great seaweed forests. Marine biologists estimate that the huge clouds of tiny sea-plants are responsible for processing 25% of the world's atmospheric oxygen. At this writing (2024) they are endangered by the toxic conditions in the ocean attributable to human activity. The animals that live in the oceans include molluscs, arthropods, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
• As far as we know, at this time (), our Earth is the only world in our solar system with life. The living creatures of Earth have gradually helped to modify and re-shape the surface of our planet in remarkable ways over millions of years. Ancient examples of this are the stromatolites ⬃ that freed atmospheric oxygen from the rocks, the world-wide coral reefs ⬃ and the sandy beaches found surrounding so many shorelines. We humans are also the only creatures that we know of who have the potential ability to protect our world from dire threats such as the large asteroid strikes that destroyed most of the dinosaurs. The Birds are the direct descendants of Therapod (3-toed) dinosaurs who survived and continued to evolve into the myriad species of Avians we see today.
• Currently The Earth is at Perihelion around January 3rd with The Sun in Capricorn at 13°. Heliocentrically, at this time, The Earth is seen in her Rulership, The Crab at 13°. So from The Sun's perspective, The Earth draws closest to him while she is in her own Dimension in the course of her orbit.
• A Pale Blue Dot
  

  "Consider that dot - that's here - that's home - that's us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar', every 'supreme leader', every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. ...".

  A Pale Blue Dot • photo from Voyager 1, 1990 • essay by Carl Sagan ( ☉ ♏︎ ☽ ♐︎ ) • photos, videos & full essays: NASA CoSM CarlSagancom

Mother Earth rules The Crab / The Rabbit / The Cat.

• Environment  • Impressions  • Fear  • Safety  • Regression  • Hunger  • Satisfaction  • Protection  • Resilience  • Tenacity  • Evolution  • Expectation  • Receiving  • Taking  • Keeping  • Memory  • Attachment  • Nurturing  • Caring  • Sentiment  • Understanding  • Imagination  • Appreciation  • Society  • World  •

☯ Yin Earth•Moon is the Yin analogue to the Sun which rules Leo as Yang.

Scientists and philosophers have noted that we 'eat our way through our world'. Everyone does, every living thing on Earth eats their way through the world. What does everyone eat? Other living things of the Earth! The very tiniest living things absorb, ingest and excrete minerals. Then the larger living things eat those smaller ones. It goes on from there in a world wide web of consumption and life.

The Earth is a very Emotional, Imaginative World. We are all constantly involved in her planet-wide Transformations. We would all do well to learn to deeply understand these natural changes and to learn to participate carefully and to wisely care for, tend and preserve our world.

People with Sun or Moon in the Crab have a high degree of tenacity. There is often a strong natural vitality. In the lives of Crab people (Sun, Moon), there is often quick involvement and also quick retreats. The emotional life of Crab people is labile and fluid. There is a lot of imagination and so also a lot of fear. Fear that is unresolved can cause depression and isolation.

It's important to know that Fear is meant to keep us safe. If we learn about the cause of the fear, it can be resolved to Caring. If people do not learn enough to dispel fear properly, it may transform to hatred. Hatred that is sustained for a long time without resolution will morph into mental illness. This can ruin lives.

The Crab dimension adds convolution to the emotional mind. Every emotional thought bubbles, spouts and ripples. The imagination can flow quite far from reality. Memory can be twisted up with wishful thinking or fears and prejudices. Expectations can greatly interfere with clear thinking. Many Crab people (Sun, Moon) prefer to compartmentalize their minds. However, too many separations in the mind can prevent psychological integration.

This sign / dimension likes yesterday. It can engender the desire to go back, to revert to an earlier stage when we were not yet changed by events. So this sign can also initiate a desire for renewal. This sign / dimension very likely plays an important role in the process of initiating regeneration.

Caring people with Sun or Moon in the Crab are often very nurturing and comforting. They very often have 'green thumbs' and are excellent cooks. They are some of the people who say they "cook with love". Capricorns also do that! Cancerians also often have a wild, giddy sense of humor! Then they also get moody. If one of the Crab people in your life is experiencing a moody time, you just need to remain calm. Do something silly, let them nibble some food from your plate, and then you can both laugh a bit.

The Path of the Crab / Rabbit / Cat is to Weave Together a Life Image, a History of Experiences and Memories, a Livelihood and a Nurturing Web from all the choices that are available to us.

We all belong to the Family of the Earth. We ought to make all necessary efforts to become willing to heal our toxicity toward our Natural Family, our World Mother. She very much needs us to learn about the principles of the sharing signs of Libra and Scorpio and the principles of the collective signs: Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.

• Our Moon has always been a remarkable sight in the night sky. She Dances throughout the Year. You can see that it is a round body, first by the apparent circle and then by all the slow changes throughout the month and the year.
• Our Moon is a bit wider than ¼ of the width of our world, at 27% of the Earth's diameter. She is very large in relation to her parent planet - Most moons are a tiny fraction of the size of their parent planet. Pluto's moon Charon can also be considered a very large moon at about ½ the diameter of the parent planet. Eris' moon Dysnomia may also fit this configuration, since latest measures estimate that Dysnomia seems to be about ⅓ the diameter of the parent planet.
• Like most moons, Our Moon is tidally locked to her parent planet, the Earth, always showing only one side to us. We could only study the other side, the far side, when probes orbited the Moon in the second half of the 20th Century. Our Earth does not show only one face to the Moon, as she turns on her axis every 24 hours. So every day, people all over the world can see the Moon whenever she is at least a few degrees away from the Sun. (Clouds permitting, of course)
• Even though the Moon has no atmosphere or biosphere of her own, physicists and biologists have acknowledged and study the essential role and importance of the presence of our Moon in the emergence and development of life on our world. The tidal effects of the Moon are evident to everyone who lives near the shorelines around the world.
• Our Moon circles the Earth on an angled orbit. This orbit crosses the Ecliptic plane. The Moon orbits the Earth every Month, moving through the entire Zodiac. Therefore, it crosses the Ecliptic twice a month, going North and going South. The points where the Moon crosses the Ecliptic are called the Lunar Nodes. The point where the Moon crosses the Ecliptic going North indicates the current position of the North Node. Conversely, the point where the Moon crosses the Ecliptic going South indicates the current position of the South Node. These points precess around the Zodiac over the course of 19 years. These calculated points steadily move Retrograde, with only brief occasional hesitations.
  In "The Moon's Nodes" below is a diagram of the Moon's orbit that describes the Nodes.
• Moon Phases 2018 - Northern Hemisphere
  Moon Phases 2022 – Northern Hemisphere

Wolves Discovered the Moon Long, Long Ago!

• Our Moon reflects all the attributes of Earth's Rulership. • For us, the Moon represents our world in the sky.

☯ Yin Earth•Moon is the Yin analogue to the Sun which rules Leo as Yang.

Evolution is driven by the principles of the Earth•Moon. Living things need to eat and protect themselves and change in response to their environment. They need to find or catch food and to escape or repel predators and dangers. The principles of nourishment and protection belong to the Moon.

We all consume the world in many ways. Physical food and drink is one kind of nourishment. There is also spiritual inspiration that brings us 'food for thought' and nourishing, caring emotional bonds.

The Moon represents Hunger and Acceptance of all kinds of nourishment. This includes receiving, accepting and being accepted. The flow of Receiving and Giving runs all through life.

The principles of the Moon also include Fear.
The purpose of Fear is to keep us Safe. We are supposed to avoid things that make us afraid. We need to understand things that make us afraid so we can deal with them in sustainable ways. When we learn from fear, Learning dispels fear. As we deal with our fears and grow in understanding, we outgrow them. As we outgrow fear, we become more protective and caring and we can learn about healing and compassion. In this way, Natural Selection, Evolution, leads us from fear to caring. Caring is more sustainable than Fear. The simplest way to show willingness to go beyond fear and to engage caring is to share nourishment of any kind. Every person, dog and cat understands this. Mammals and Avians understand this very well.

Conservative attitudes can help to remind us to preserve the good things from the past while we move forward in Time. Good things from the past are those things that are sustainable. Sustainable customs, methods, things or ideas are those that will be easily integrated with new ideas. They remain relevant and helpful to society. If a custom, method, system, idea or belief is not sustainable, if it is no longer helpful or relevant, then it cannot be considered good or true and must be allowed to fade into memory and history.

The Moon's movement across the Ecliptic describes our social directions. As the Moon moves to the North side of the Ecliptic, the spot where it crosses is called the North Node. Likewise for the South Node. In Vedic Astrology the North Node ☊ is called Rahu and the South Node ☋ is called Ketu. They are known as the head and tail of the Dragon. With the Dragon's head we eat our way into new experiences and the future while the Dragon's tail produces soil and leaves it in the past. The Moon's Nodes hold much of the story of our social progress in life. ⮜ Mouse over the area below the moon's image to see a diagram of the Moon's orbit that describes the Nodes.

The Sign and House in which we find our Head of the Dragon (☊ North Node) is what, how and where we are drawn to "eat" on our way to the future in this life.

Natal Planets
When a natal planet is on the North Node, this strongly beckons us to try new experiences symbolized by that planet, to learn and do new things, to move towards our future.
People with natal planets on the North Node should seek guidance from others who have more experience to use the North Node wisely and not to be mislead.

Transiting Planets
When planets transit the North Node they can be viewed as necessary new lessons and opportunities that will be presented and offered for a certain time.

The Sign and House in which we find our Tail of the Dragon (☋ South Node) is how and where we expel our past and produce good soil.

Natal Planets
A natal planet on the South Node indicates easy access to past experience, knowledge and expertise, but it also represents difficulty with progress, letting go of the past and moving forward. People with these positions are often socially demanding. They also have confidence as if they have 'done this before' and they know how to do it well.

However, Natal planets on the South Node also indicate compulsions. These urges can interfere with the simple joys of life, contentment and the exercise of free will because compulsions must always be satisfied first. After a compulsive event, there will be a refractory period, relatively free of urges. Then you can proceed to ..
Wait! Then the compulsion can appear again and compulsions must be satisfied first!
OK, fine. Then you can go on ..
Wait! compulsions reappear and must be satisfied first!
OOF!
People with these positions need to become aware of their compulsions and admit to themselves that they live with this situation, much in the same way that alcoholics and addicts need to admit to their dependency. For these people, some study of the psychology of dependency is strongly recommended. This can be an important positive factor in their psychological development and their karma.

Extensive remedial study of social dynamics is strongly recommended for people who have natal planets on the Lunar South Node. They need to periodically review the reasons that move people to gather in societies. They need to periodically review what is necessary for societies to thrive and continue in a sustainable manner. This can be an important influence to the cultivation of consistency and responsibility.

Transiting Planets
When planets transit the South Node they can be viewed as highlights to necessary obligations that will be presented and required for a certain time. They may become temporary obsessions, which may be amusing or distressing to one's friends.

An Old Cherokee Story of Two Wolves ⬃   Buy a print at Etsy   The story as read by a Yogin

• When Mars is closest to the Earth, it looks like a red ruby in the sky. Through telescopes we can periodically see atmospheric storms. Mars has no round moon, just two free-flying mountains, rocky satellites called "Phobos" and "Deimos".
• Many people believe that we could "Terraform" Mars - transform it to make another habitable world for us. However, there are many points to consider:
  • The length of a day on Mars is almost identical to the length of an Earth day. Mars also has a similar tilt of the axis, and therefore has similar seasonal changes. But Mars has a much more elliptical orbit, with almost 29% difference between the closest and furthest points. This will make the seasonal changes in temperature more extreme. Temperatures currently range from a mild Spring-like 10 ℃ / 50 ℉ down to a very cold deep Wintery -87 ℃ / -125 ℉.
  • Mars currently has an extremely thin atmosphere that would require amending. (1% of Earth's atmosphere at 0.006 bars or 0.095 psi) This thin atmosphere consists of ~95% Carbon Dioxide, ~2.8% Nitrogen, ~2% Argon and ~0.17% Oxygen. If we wished to modify Mars to be habitable, we would need to thicken and enrich the atmosphere. Recent research (in 2021) indicates that this might be difficult due to a deficit of carbon dioxide. But perhaps we might be able to ship to Mars some of the excess carbon dioxide and methane from Earth and Venus.
  • Furthermore, a proper moon could help to warm and perhaps even spin up the core of Mars, and possibly reactivate and strengthen the planetary magnetic fields, which in turn could help to improve and preserve the atmosphere. See the entry for "Meretz" below.
  • But most important and completely unchangeable, Mars is only a bit more than half the size of Earth and therefore has much less gravity than Earth, only about 38% of 1 Earth G. So while vacations on Mars might be fun, people who lived there for long periods would become weakened in the low gravity. Thus, this planet might not be suitable as a permanent home for individual humans.
  But Mars certainly could be valuable for agriculture, scientific research, tourism, sports and adventures!
  Martian Jungle Safaris, anyone? ⬃
  A week-long vacation for Skiing on Mons Olympus? Wow!

Mars rules The Ram / The Rat.

• Energy  • Action  • Conflict  • Impetus  • Spark Of Identity  • Presence  • Focus  • Brave  • Bold  • Genuine  • Self  • Contest  • Challenge  • Direction  • Application  •

☯ Yang Mars is the Yang analogue of Pluto which rules Scorpio as Yin.

Mars is the simplest Masculine Symbol, the male Hero, directing energy outward!

Aries people (Sun, Moon or Mars Rising) are often ready to try anything and very often they succeed and make progress! They often have an appealing innocence. They are eager for experience and interested to interact with others. When interacting with others, they often seem to have a background attitude of acceptance, an easy understanding that the world is naturally wide and full of variety, and they seem to easily accept others as they are. They like to challenge themselves and they appreciate people who also challenge them. Even though they don't handle frustration well, they don't seem to be control freaks.

Mars and Aries people have a remarkable ability to think directly and go straight to the point. This is an important leadership quality. It includes Honesty. It also engenders the fine trait of Sincerity. They actively and eagerly discover and develop their talents and skills.

They are naturally heroic in their protection of loved ones, and ready and willing to fix problems and rescue those in need ~ "Help is on the way!"

Many people who have Sun and Moon in Aries or who have prominent Mars also have an appreciation of, and affinity with, animals - pets, domesticates and creatures who live in the natural and wild world.

Mars and Aries are associated with Blood and the Life in the Body. The Path of Mars leads us to Focus, to Act to become Real, to live Genuine Honest lives in the Real World and to help create a Wholesome Reality for ourselves.

"Every beginning is difficult."

• A Moon would help to warm the planet's inner core by gravitational friction strengthening the magnetic fields which in turn would help to preserve the atmosphere. The suggested diameter of Meretz in relation to Mars echoes the proportion of Earth's Moon to the Earth ~ 27% of the planet's diameter.
• Assembly of Mars' artificial moon can incorporate the two small natural satellites Phobos and Deimos, Mars-orbit-crossing rocks, spare rocks orbiting Jupiter, and other rocks from the Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud.
• While Mars spends about two months in a sign for us here on Earth, the Martian moon would traverse each sign in a few days, while the Earth would spend about a month or so in each sign as it accompanies the Sun. This would greatly contrast with the movement of our moon which only spends a few days in each sign. Also while seen from Earth, Mars regularly moves retrograde, but when viewed from Mars, the Martian moon would never go retrograde!

• Ceres is a little smaller than ⅓ of the diameter of our Moon. Although she is small, Ceres is the largest and the most clearly round representative world in the Asteroids Belt circling the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
• Like Mercury, Ceres has no atmosphere to distribute heat. Unlike Mercury, Ceres does rotate quickly. The temperatures on Ceres range from a very cold -73 ℃ (daytime) to an even colder -143 ℃ (night-time). Translated to Fahrenheit: -100 ℉ (daytime) to -225 ℉ (night-time).
• Ceres takes a little more than 4½ years to make her way around the Sun and the Zodiac. Because she is nicely round and circles the Sun, this classifies her as a Planet. However, she has not cleared her orbit of other objects. Indeed, she shares her orbit with very many other objects. Thus, Ceres is classified as a Minor Planet since her orbit is extremely cluttered. The asteroids are not close to each other in our terms, though. You would need binoculars or a small telescope to see other asteroids if you were standing on Ceres.
• In the Asteroids Belt, there are three other smaller roughly roundish planetoids around half the size of Ceres: These are the asteroids Vesta, Pallas and Hygeia. They also circle the Sun in their own orbits within the Asteroids Belt. Just over 60% of the mass of the Asteroids Belt is represented by Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Hygeia.
  Astrologers have noted Vesta and Pallas as large roundish bodies for many years. Hygeia is also a large roundish body and therefore is included here in this list as a fourth representative of Virgo. Astrologers have also marked the passages of another asteroid, Juno, which was discovered early on since it is quite reflective and bright. However, today we know that Juno is only a large chunk and not a clearly round body.
  The largest asteroids ⬃ include: Vesta, Pallas, Hygeia, Interamnia, Europa, Davida, Sylvia, Eunomia, Euphrosyne, Juno ...
• In addition to Ceres and the three roundish members of the Asteroids Belt, there are an estimated 400,000 smaller irregularly shaped asteroids circling the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. These asteroids range in size from huge boulders to free-flying mountains. Some astronomers have estimated that the if the entire mass of the Asteroids Belt were gathered together, it would make a small planet about as large as our moon.
• Note in the illustration at left below Ceres that many Asteroids, the "Trojans" and "Greeks", appear to cluster around the sextile positions in relation to Jupiter, while the "Hildas" are clustered in opposition to Jupiter on the other side of the Sun! These Asteroids are present at Jupiter's LaGrange points! We can view this as an intimate relationship that the Asteroids Belt has with Jupiter. The Asteroids belt seems to outline Jupiter's sphere of influence.
• Some astronomers believe that Ceres and the other asteroids were originally a larger planet that was broken up by impacts from other objects and/or by gravitational pressures from Jupiter, while other astronomers believe that these objects were parts of a ring of dust, a potential planet that never completely formed. This author subscribes to the 'original larger planet' theory.
• Ceres was discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi, a priest born July 16 1746 in Ponte Valtellina, Italy.
• Now, Ceres is not really suitable for terraforming, but along those lines, this author would like to suggest that someday we send robots to work for years to gradually grind smooth the surfaces of Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Hygeia. The robots could then also cover all those in shiny stuff as decoration. Maybe they could use a layer of silicon flakes or small glass marbles? That might make Virgo people happier. Virgo likes jewelry... This would also make the largest asteroids more visible in the night sky! Ooh, Pretty!
• Energy Efficiency: Ceres, the representative of the Asteroids Belt and the Virgo Dimension, seems to 'pretend' to be much larger than she is. How? There would seem to be a lot more surface area to the collection of all the objects of the Asteroids Belt than there is to a single round planet. This would mean that the Asteroids Belt collects a lot more sunshine than a single round planet! We may interpret this to mean that the Virgo dimension has this special strategy to collect solar energy, which may actually be more effective and efficient than the usual way of a single round rotating planet. However, the price that the Virgo Dimension pays for this superior ability to gather solar energy is a severely reduced level of integration. She spreads herself thin.

Ceres rules The Girl / The Snake.

• Inner Messages  • Application  • Organized  • Conformity  • Adaptability  • Clean  • Health  • Self Control  • Skills  • Diligence  • Relevance  • Pertinence  • Improvement  • Specialist  • Expertise  • Modest  • Humble  • Recursion  • Participation  • Techniques  • Methods  • Refinement  •

☯ Yin Ceres is the Yin analogue to Mercury which rules Gemini as Yang.

Wheat Fields and Rice Paddies are natural symbols of Virgo. The Sand on a Beach is also a good natural symbol of Virgo. The surprising beauty of the tiny things of the world is also seen through our Virgo dimension, such as sunflowers, snowflakes, sea shells, fishes' scales, butterflies' wings, grasshoppers & beetles, birds' feathers, bees and their hexagonal wax hives, gem stones, et cetera!
Technologies all involve Virgo skills, from fishing nets & webs, growing agricultural grass grains such as rice, wheat, barley, oats & lupine and legumes & beans, ceramics & pottery, designing & printing computer chips and mathematics and engineering. All these work with fine, tiny bits from the Earth and many detailed functions that collectively have great effect on all our lives.

It's not simple or easy to disperse Earth, but amazingly ordered details have great beauty. Here are 2 mathematical sets that display recursive forms that seem to express the principles of Virgo. Here is a video by Ben Sparks that explains the Mandelbrot & Julia Sets. Here is a website about fractals. Keep in mind that in order to understand recursion, you must first understand .. recursion. If you recurse down to a certain point and then pop back up to the surface when you find what you seek, recursion will be productive. Otherwise, recursion without an end-point will descend into inner chaos. Boundaries are very important for Virgos. Without good boundaries, they may become self-involved and lose their sense of the real world. Good boundaries protect against uncontrolled inward recursion.

Virgo is not a central figure. One important challenge to Virgo is to let go of their 'feeling memory' of the fiery focus of Leo and to allow their own actual ego to be subsumed into their service to the community and their remarkable work with the real world.

There is a difference between being a 'central figure' and being a 'center of attention'.
• Being a central figure comes from an inner quality within yourself. People notice and gravitate toward the creative character of the artist who creates within themselves.
• Being a center of attention comes from actions originating outside you. People who are around you will create your character if you cater to their requirements, expectations, wishes and whims in exchange for their attention.

Leo Suns natural actions draw people to them as the 'central figure'. In contrast, Virgo Suns, often secretly, and sometimes openly, wish to be the 'center of attention'.
We all have both dimensions, in various degrees. We use our creativity to integrate ourselves and create our happiness and our world to some degree. We use our adaptability to refine ourselves and to fit well into our social and natural environment.

When you see a Virgo Sun who is eager to be a leader, or meet a group whose central group of leaders include many Virgo Suns, you can be sure that there is something gone awry in their psychology. Sadly, this is not an unusual situation. We can all recognize micro-managers and control freaks who suffer from an unbalanced Virgo dimension. Virgo, however, definitely does not know how to delegate tasks or rely on others' participation. Another expression of this imbalance is superficiality, arrogance and contempt for others. Heart problems plague Virgo people who seek central roles. It is wildly inappropriate for them. For a Sun Virgo, it's best to not try to occupy the center position of any group.

Actually, Virgo Suns do very well in roles as the center of attention in various fields of culture and entertainment: literature, music, theatre, television, film. In these fields, there is a very long list of talented people born with Sun in Virgo. See a partial list in the Quotes section below.

Fantasy allows them to bring out their secret Leonish stories very well. Many Virgo Sun people are perceptive, compelling storytellers and social activists. This kind of work brings them tremendous attention. This method of getting attention and adoration is immensely better than trying to insert and involve themselves into other people's lives uninvited as in politics or corporate management.


In a safe, strongly cohesive, happy, healthy group, Leo central figures will shine lights on the Virgos and commend them for their contributions, encouraging everyone to then give appropriate attention, recognition, appreciation and rewards to the Virgos for their fine work. In this healthy group, the Virgos will be able to accept the praise as appreciation from their valued peers and encouragement to continue to do their best and to set a good example for others. Unfortunately, that kind of group of mature individuals is very rare.

For many people, their Virgo dimension seems to be drawn to two impossible values: perfection and purity. It would be good for all of us to learn from our Taurus and our Capricorn Dimensions that these two values are directions rather than actual qualities. If we keep in mind the words 'to perfect' and 'to purify' as verbs, we will be much more comfortable with our Virgo dimension.

One Challenge of the Path of Virgo is to be Organized, Patient and Productive while retaining the virtues of her experiences with the previous sign of Leo. Virgo can help us all to become truly Modest and Graceful while allowing the ego and energy to diffuse and be disseminated into the many works that she provides to support and enhance her community, her corner of the world. Many Virgo people (Sun, Moon) have an inner strength that helps them to weather difficulties. They also set a good example when others perceive this quality.

Many Virgo Sun people sometimes feel their identity to be too diffuse and in danger of disintegrating. They may feel that everything is unstable, so they try to emphasize and exert control over everything and everyone around them. Other people describe normal levels of this characteristic as "bossy". (This can be a residue of our Leo dimension.) However, this can reach disturbing levels. Then people will use terms such as 'Too Tightly Wrapped', 'Micro Manager', "Control Freak" and "Hyper Critical" to describe this characteristic. When a bad temper and flashes of anger are included in the mix, "Virago" is another term other people may use to describe the women.

Gossip, Rumours, Criticism, Control, Contempt and Arrogance are some of the negative versions of social messages. These are negative symptoms of an ego that is severely insufficiently or improperly engaged in the world. Virgo people (Sun, Moon) often feel overwhelmed by the huge number of details that they feel need their attention, their tending, their management.

Virgo Sun people who are insecure about their identity can also be drawn to the service of powerful figures. They may become sycophants. This is not good. If a Virgo Sun person gives in to this weakness, they will be seen by others as liars, untrustworthy and treacherous. This situation would lead to a manipulative, bitter, regretful, unfulfilled and self-destructive life.

Many Virgo people (Sun, Moon) also have an unusually strong fear of death. Some also have a fascination with the topic of suicide or even suicidal ideation. Again, this is another sign of an ego that is insufficiently or improperly engaged in the world.

Virgos need to search for, find and firmly grasp good healthy identity characteristics and self-esteem so they cannot be misused by self-serving persons. The cultivation of relationships with Pisces people can remediate these problems.

The Path of Virgo is to Touch the Physical World in as many ways as she can. Anyone with a healthy Virgo dimension is very fine indeed. They are committed to healthy wholesome living. They are socially graceful and can have gratifying social ideals. They value caring and intelligence. They have an impressive range and variety of skills and great natural ability in the areas of health and the proper functioning of an organization. They are ingenious, productive and meticulous. They see the problems of the day and are willing to work towards the solutions. They are patient, gentle and strong and they like to provide care for all kinds of creatures.
Forgiveness of your own past mistakes is also possible and justifiable if you can learn so much that you change and could never make the same mistakes again.

The Virgo dimension in each of us requires us to learn about 'Self Compassion', to learn to take care of oneself and to become truly healthy in body and mind. This is the polar pre-cursor to the Universal Compassion of Pisces.

The inner Path of Virgo is to constantly refine and improve herself and to coordinate and participate with many others all at the same time ~ To participate in the creation of, and become part of, a Safe, Happy and Healthy Community in a Wholesome Environment.
The experience of community leads us to the outer Path of Libra The Balance ( perhaps ruled by Eris ), the Path of Relationships and Partnership, the Path of being linked with and aware of others as individuals equal to ourselves.

• Jupiter, the largest planet in our system, is wildly arrayed in vividly fiery colored swirling horizontal bands. The atmosphere is largely hydrogen and helium, with small amounts of other gases that color the skies of the planet. The planet has a huge long-lived storm that forms an "eye" called the Great Red Spot.
• Jupiter stands very upright with his axis of rotation only 3° off vertical, perpendicular to the plane of revolution around the Sun! So there are no seasonal differences on Jupiter. The temperature of Jupiter is about -110 ℃ / -166 ℉.
• There are four large round moons orbiting the planet, and many rocky satellites that are too small to be round. There is also a thin ring system like those around Uranus and Neptune.
• Jupiter has a powerful magnetic field that lights up aurorae at the North and South Poles.
  The magnetic field is 10 times more powerful than that of Earth.
  Jupiter's Polar Aurorae ⬃
  
• A Question of Planetary Formation
  Jupiter emits more radiation and heat than it reflects from the Sun. He is also gradually shrinking.
  Is this an indicator that Jupiter is the youngest of the planets?
  Is Jupiter the most recently matured star in our system of planets? (See the notes for the Sun - "Stellar Formation")
  Perhaps Jupiter is the mature form of a star in our system that shed the coat of fusion and then took his current place as a planet in the solar system?
  
• Jupiter's longitude of Perihelion is currently around Aries 14°.

Jupiter rules The Archer / The Monkey.

• More  • Expansion  • Enthusiasm  • Laughter  • Enterprise  • Exploration  • Higher Learning  • Benefit  • Correction  • Rectification  • Perspective  • Growth  • Purpose  • Development  • Outer Connections  • Generous Victory over Ego  • Upright  • Redemption  • Preservation  • Justice  • Righteous  •

☯ Yang Jupiter is the Yang analogue of Neptune which is the Yin Ruler of Pisces.

The Path of Sagittarius impresses us with the sheer immensity and energy and functioning of everything around us. The principles of Sagittarius can stir in us a sense of awe regarding the visible Universe. This path opens the movement toward Spirituality, toward a sense of the Divine. Corrections and a "right path" comes from Jupiter's encounter with the real world, with the principles represented by Saturn.

People with a well developed Sagittarius dimension have learned from their Scorpio dimension that the ego can be eliminated and Life continues. They learn to keep Conscious and Mindful and to sincerely integrate the many aspects of their New Horizons into their life. They offer optimism and enthusiasm. They have strong potential to inspire others to grow and develop their own sense of purpose. (Sir Winston Churchill, Mark Twain)

The principles of Sagittarius together with those of Pisces bring us to our connection to everyone and everything in the universe. Sagittarius contributes to the perspective on the outside with energy and scale and Pisces from the inside with emotion, empathy and compassion. Between these two Paths, everyone will have their own idea of religion, a seed of awe and awareness of being part of the Whole of Life.

The Challenge of Sagittarius is to be clean and clear and not become Greedy, Superficial, Proud or Prejudiced, Narrow Minded, Self-Righteous, Bombastic, Contemptuous, Dogmatic or Hypocritical. The dangers of a poorly developed Jupiter shows in greed, gambling, drinking, drugs and wild behaviour. They can't get no satisfaction! Las Vegas, baby!

From the start, we can identify two classes of Archers:
The early class are those who blindly shoot volleys of arrows into the air in an arc, hoping to have an effect when the arrows hit, and who jump to conclusions with confidence and ignorance!
The other more mature class are those who have learned to aim for their targets with intention, direction, expertise and purpose and with much greater subsequent effect.
The differences are intention, direction, expertise, purpose and effect.

The difference and contrast is illustrated very well in the film "The Lord of the Rings". On the city parapet there is a large group of archers, the Men, who blindly shoot volleys of arrows into the air, hoping to see them hit enemy Orcs. There is also a smaller group of archers, the Elves, who nock their arrows, aim for captains of the Orcs and strike their targets true, depriving the enemy of their commanders.
The Elves are superb archers in the same class as the legendary inspirational marksmen: Robin Hood of England; William Tell of Suisse; and Arjuna the Supreme Archer of India.

After enthusiastically or angrily exploding with force and shooting into the air aimlessly many, many times, or simply jumping to ineffective and inaccurate conclusions, Archers strive to learn the lesson to determine and aim for a target. They get the concept of Course Correction from unsuccessful encounters with Saturn, from their failures to affect the real world. Paying closer attention to Saturn and Uranus helps to find the facts and methods that we all can use for more accurate, effective implementation. Pisces helps by loosening the ego to make our course corrections possible and acceptable. People who are heavily invested in their ego cannot accept corrections.

If our inner Archers accept the idea of Correction and integrate it into our directions and purposes, we can continue to make progress. This method of Explosion, Expansion, Behaviour Modification, Course Correction, Rectification, Desire for Redemption, Guided Growth and Development of Purpose leads toward the Path of Exploration, Gaining Benefits, Ethical Upright Living, Protection, Preservation and Justice leading to a Righteous Life. Jovian personalities who learn to succeed do indeed enjoy lifelong enthusiasm and provide optimism for their social circles.

The principles of Jupiter and Sagittarius enable us to reach out and get what we need and want. Sagittarius alone does not encourage us to give generously to others. Sagittarius is a Fire sign and does encourage us to display how large we are, to be the hero, but the urge for sharing comes from Neptune and Pisces, because that sign gives us the ability to feel the needs and desires of others. Saturn and Capricorn allow us to recognize the volume of our cup, and to accept the time to stop when filling it. They help us to allow others to fill their cups, to share with others. All these principles work together. It is SO important to coordinate with others when we are part of a group.

Jupiter and Sagittarius do NOT give us a sense of Responsibility. That comes largely from encounters with Capricorn and Saturn which make us aware of our Boundaries, our Limits, our Obligations and our Responsibilities.

As we become aware of the Benefits that we gain in life, we also need to understand and accept Corrections and the Responsibilities that are required to complete the cycle and maintain continuity and sustainability.

If we are not mislead by selfish greed, pride and hypocrisy, then the principles of Sagittariuus will help us progress toward an opening, spiritually expanding, upright life and become more aware of the need to understand and engage the real world better and to participate in society, with all the practical complexities and interactions.
As we gain our Jovian Benefits, we need to accept and understand the great importance of our Saturnine Obligations and Responsibilities. These are the bookends to Rights and Benefits. Otherwise, the world we are currently shaping will not be sustainable.

• Saturn, the second largest planet, is elegantly clad in a gentle cascade of bands colored in earthy tones that change subtly with her seasons. The atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium, like the other gas giants ~ Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.
• Saturn possesses spectacular Rings which were first discovered in 1610 when Galileo used a telescope to view Saturn and wrote that he saw two "ears" on the planet. Eventually these "ears" were viewed more clearly and astronomers understood them to be rings around the planet. The Rings of Saturn consist of 99% water ice particles. These range in size from blocks the size of small houses to little handfuls of clumps of snow. There are also huge dimmer outer rings of icy water vapor that glow in the sunlight. (See more information in Saturn's Rings below)
• This giant world has seven sizable round moons and many more large mountain-sized rocks flying in orbit around the planet.
• The angle of the axis of her rotation is 27° from perpendicular to the plane of her orbit around the Sun, not far from that of our Earth (23°), and thus Saturn also has four distinct seasons of about 7 Earth-years each. The temperature of Saturn is about -140 ℃ / -220 ℉.
• Saturn's magnetic fields are almost as strong as those of the Earth, so she also has Aurorae around the North & South Magnetic Poles, but these are visible only in UV light.
  ⮜ View Saturn's Polar Aurora ⬃
• At Saturn's South Pole, there is a mega-storm forming a giant funnel that opens inwards.
  At Saturn's North pole there are a group of giant perpetual storms that form a tremendous stable hexagon that looks like a cap made of brocaded fabric.
  ⮜ View Saturn's North Pole Hexagon ⬃
• Saturn's gravity is surprisingly close to that of the Earth, and it's density is so light that it would float in a giant bathtub of water! (with or without soap bubbles)
• Saturn's longitude of Perihelion is currently around Cancer 2°

• The Rings of Saturn are a distinct feature in the solar system, as is the the perpendicular rotation of Uranus which is the Yang correlate to Saturn.
• The Rings of Saturn were first discovered in 1610 when Galileo pointed a telescope toward Saturn and wrote that he saw two "ears" on the planet. Eventually these "ears" were viewed more clearly and finally understood to be rings around the planet.
• The Cassini mission reached Saturn in 2017 providing wonderfully clear views and extensive data of the entire Saturn system - planet, rings & moons.
  NASA Cassini mission Photos
  View Saturn's Rings Close-up ⬃
  
• Now we know that these rings consist of 99% water ice ranging in size from small growler icebergs, igloos, snowmen and ice blocks down to ice cubes, marbles and clumps of snow.
• Some rings have small "shepherd moons", moonlets, large irregular rocks that seem to modify or preserve the shape of the rings with their gravity.
• The rings move in circles around Saturn at varying speeds. The inner rings revolve around the planet in 6 hours while the outer rings complete their circles in about 14 hours. The rings also have waves moving through their bands.
• Astronomers have identified 7 main rings which are actually collections of many more thin rings. Saturn's ring system is an amazingly complex structure. Five rings (ABCDF) are vivid to the naked eye and close to the planet. They all have striations with distinct colors and empty gaps between them. The inner edge of the ring closest to the planet is at a distance of 7,000 km, while the outer edge of the furthest vivid ring is at a distance of 80,000 km from the planet. After a gap, there is another, fainter 6th ring (The G ring).
  Saturn's round moons all orbit outside the Six inner rings.
  Further out, much thinner and much less visible to the naked eye, there is another vague, wide, tenuous 7th ring of icy water vapor (The E ring). This very faint 7th ring (E) stretches from the orbit of Mimas to the orbit of Titan.
  ⮜ Mouse over the image of Saturn backlit by the Sun to see a diagram of Saturn's system of Rings and Moons.