𧑉(hu） 60 Stars Astrology Season ▲ Mini-Appendix: The Positions of Fixed Stars

60 Stars Astrology Season ▲

English　Version

By　TOKYOｰTANUKI

𧑉(hu） 60 Stars Astrology　 Season ▲ 

– Mini-Appendix: The Positions of Fixed Stars

This time, I had Gemini translate the entire article for me!


1.　Today, let’s talk about the names of the constellations, at first. 

Specifically, the ones we actually see when stargazing. 

This is a follow-up to my previous post about fixed stars.

I’ll probably only keep up this blogging pace for another few months or so. 

......That's why I wanted to make sure I write this down now.



2.　I imagine there are at least a few people out there who enjoy stargazing with the naked eye or a telescope.

...Back when Tanu-chan was in elementary school, I used to lug my telescope outside every single week to look at the stars. 

Granted, it was just a cheap telescope with a 50mm to 60mm aperture. Jupiter looked pretty good, and Saturn was tiny but incredibly sharp. 

However, something like the Orion Nebula looked like nothing more than a faint, blurry smudge of light with the Trapezium (the quadruple star cluster) barely visible inside it.

Unlike the gorgeous astrophotography you see online, looking at the Serpens Globular Cluster (M5) through it was literally just looking at a tiny, faint, fuzzy ball. Talk about modest!

And of course, since it was a cheap setup, it didn't have an equatorial mount. 

I had to track everything manually. 

If you turn it left, the field of view moves right. Move it down, and the view goes up. Swap out the eyepiece, and suddenly everything moves in the exact opposite direction again.

Because of that, even if you managed to catch your target star in the lens once, it could easily drift out of sight in the blink of an eye.

That's why I had to memorize the constellations. 

If you don't map them out in your head, you'll never find the clusters or nebulae you're looking for.

Orion is an absolute superstar. 

When you wake up early at the very end of summer vacation and see the three stars of Orion’s belt rising vertically in the eastern sky, you just know that winter is right around the corner. 

Other constellations like Canis Major, Scorpius, Sagittarius, and Ursa Major are superstars too, since you can see them so clearly.

But Aries, Libra, Capricorn...? They kind of leave you going, "...Wait, where?"

They just don't stand out at all. 

As a kid, I remember wondering, "If they're this hard to see, why did anyone bother naming them in the first place?"

3.　As many of you probably know, the signs used in horoscopes are currently shifted by exactly one constellation compared to the actual positions of the stars in the sky. 

Right now, the area corresponding to the Libra birth sign (those born in October) actually hosts the constellation of Virgo. 

The brilliant, bluish-white first-magnitude star Spica shines right there, with Arcturus gleaming just above it.

So, when I was a kid, I used to wonder: "If someone is born in October, shouldn't we actually call them a Virgo?" Or maybe even a Boötes?

.............But as it turns out, I was wrong. 

My entire premise was fundamentally off.

When ancient people named the place where the sun sits during the autumnal equinox "Libra" (the place of balance), it wasn't because they saw a group of stars that actually looked like a pair of scales. 

When astrology was first established, they simply designated the sun's position on the autumnal equinox as the beginning of the sign of Libra. 

Since there didn't happen to be any particularly bright stars right at that exact location, they basically picked two nearby stars that stood out just a tiny bit and called it Libra.

Personally, Tanu-chan guesses this happened around 27,000 years ago... Well, that's just my own wild theory, though!

History books can trace constellations back about 5,000 to 6,000 years (to the era when the vernal equinox was in Gemini, which aligns with the time of Nüwa and Fuxi in Chinese mythology; back then, the autumnal equinox was in Sagittarius). 

....Anything before that remains shrouded in mystery.

As time passed, the actual physical constellations overlapping with the astrological sign of Libra (180° to 210° celestial longitude) kept shifting. 

Today, that space happens to be occupied by Virgo.

Some people claim that the constellations were defined only about 2,000 years ago. 

However, their origins are incredibly ancient. 

They are recorded not only by the Sumerians but also at the Göbekli Tepe ruins, which date back more than 8000 years.



4.　Around the time astrology was being shaped, ancient people designated the position of the vernal equinox as Aries (a placement signifying a young man, a ram, or a laborer). 

Aries is another constellation completely lacking in prominent stars. 

They simply took a few slightly brighter stars that happened to be in the area and called it the Ram.

Similarly, because there were no conspicuous stars marking the winter solstice back then, they forcefully pieced together some faint stars to create Capricorn. 

The summer solstice also lacked bright stars, featuring only a small cluster known as Praesepe. 

They built the constellation of Cancer right around it.

Because these constellations were put together so artificially, even if your eyes are perfectly adjusted to the dark during stargazing, Capricorn just never looks like a goat. ...Honestly, if someone looks up and actually sees a goat shape in those stars, they're the weird one!



5.　Now, the reason I'm bringing all this up is to discuss the positions of the fixed stars. 

Stars sitting almost directly on the ecliptic can be read straight from their ecliptic longitude. 

Take Antares, for example; it sits around 9.5° Sagittarius, and since it's almost right on the ecliptic, you can safely treat it as being around 9° Sagittarius.

However, when reading a horoscope, we must consider how a star's latitude shifts its astrological position relative to its actual astronomical longitude. 

For stars located in the hemisphere from Cancer to Capricorn (180° to 360°), the rules of deviation apply as follows:

....Stars north (above) of the ecliptic shift backward in the zodiac: This means their astrological position will sit at a slightly later degree than their actual astronomical longitude. 

For example, because Arcturus is located north of the ecliptic, its position shifts backward to around 26.5° Libra.

... Stars south (below) of the ecliptic shift forward in the zodiac: This means their astrological position will sit at a slightly earlier degree than their actual astronomical longitude. 

For instance, Sirius is astronomically at 14° Cancer, but due to its southern latitude, its astrological position shifts forward to an earlier degree.

......The further a star is from the ecliptic, the greater this distortion becomes. 

However, a few mysteries remain:

A. While this rule generally holds true for the Cancer-to-Capricorn side (180° to 360°), what happens to the distortion on the opposite side of the zodiac (from Capricorn to Cancer)?

B. What happens to stars that sit massively far above or below the ecliptic, like Deneb or the Southern Cross?

.....We don't fully know the answers to these questions yet.

Tanu-chan is actively researching this, but I've been so busy lately!


When it comes to planets, they rarely stray far from the ecliptic, so you don't need to worry about this too much. 

Even the Moon only deviates by about ±6 degrees, which isn't a massive deal either. 

But when you're analyzing the influence of fixed stars in a horoscope, I highly recommend factoring in these potential deviations from the ecliptic.

🌟　🌟　🌟

...So, to help everyone with their research, I’ve listed the positions of the primary bright fixed stars relative to the ecliptic (their astronomical positions: ecliptic latitude and longitude).

| No. | Star Name | Ecliptic Latitude | Ecliptic Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sirius | −39.60° | 104.09° |
| 2 | Canopus | −75.83° | 95.97° |
| 3 | Rigil Kentaurus | −44.67° | 239.63° |
| 4 | Arcturus | ＋30.74° | 204.23° |
| 5 | Vega | ＋61.73° | 288.60° |
| 6 | Capella | ＋22.87° | 81.86° |
| 7 | Rigel | －31.11° | 76.83° |
| 8 | Prokyon | －16.02° | 115.80° |
| 9 | Achernar | －59.75° | 345.27° |
| 10 | Betelgeuse | －16.03° | 88.75° |
| 11 | Hadar | －44.14° | 238.87° |
| 12 | Altair | ＋29.30° | 301.78° |
| 13 | Acrux | －52.87° | 221.88° |
| 14 | Aldebaran | －05.47° | 69.78° |
| 15 | Antares | －04.57° | 250.08° |
| 16 | Spica | －2.03° | 203.84° |
| 17 | Pollux | ＋6.68° | 113.22° |
| 18 | Fomalhaut | －21.14° | 343.87° |
| 19 | Deneb | ＋59.90° | 335.33° |
| 20 | Mimosa | －49.68° | 221.65° |
| 21 | Regulus | ＋00.47° | 150.08° |

Of course, there are plenty of other famous stars, like Castor in Gemini. 

There are also stars like Adhara in Canis Major, which used to blaze as brightly as Venus in the ancient past!

I also asked ChatｰGPT about the stars that become the brightest over a 10-million-year window (5 million years into the past and future), so I’m sharing that data here for your reference.

What truly blows my mind is the sheer brilliance of Canopus. 

All in all, it holds the title of the brightest star in the sky for over 3 million years across the past and future combined.
...Personally, Tanu-chan feels that ignoring this star in astrology simply makes no sense.

///////////

The best data currently available is based on John Tomkin’s calculations using the Hipparcos catalog, subsequently updated with Gaia mission data. However, please keep in mind that as we look millions of years into the future, uncertainties regarding proper motion, distance, and stellar evolution increase significantly. It’s best to view the following table as an "estimated history calculated from current data".

Past 5 Million Years → Present → Future 5 Million Years

* ~5.0M to 4.46M years ago: Adhara (ε CMa) | Approx Max Magnitude: −3.99 | Distance at closest approach: 34 light-years

* 4.46M to 3.7M years ago: Mirzam (β CMa) | Approx Max Magnitude: −3.65 | Distance at closest approach: 37 light-years

* 3.7M to 1.37M years ago: Canopus (α Car) | Approx Max Magnitude: −1.86 | Distance at closest approach: 177 light-years

* 1.37M to 1.08M years ago: Ascella (ζ Sgr) | Approx Max Magnitude: −2.74 | Distance at closest approach: ~8 light-years

* 1.08M to 950K years ago: Zeta Leporis (ζ Lep) | Approx Max Magnitude: −2.05 | Distance at closest approach: 5.3 light-years

* 950K to 420K years ago: Canopus (α Car) | Approx Max Magnitude: −1.09 | Distance at closest approach: 252 light-years

* 420K to 210K years ago: Aldebaran (α Tau) | Approx Max Magnitude: −1.54 | Distance at closest approach: 21.5 light-years

* 210K to 160K years ago: Capella (α Aur) | Approx Max Magnitude: −0.82 | Distance at closest approach: 27.9 light-years

* 160K to 90K years ago: Canopus (α Car) | Approx Max Magnitude: −0.70 | Distance at closest approach: 302 light-years

* 90K years ago to Present: Sirius (α CMa) | Approx Max Magnitude: −1.68 | Distance at closest approach: 7.8 light-years

* Present to 210K years from now: Sirius (α CMa) | Approx Max Magnitude: ~ −1.68 | Distance at closest approach: ~7.8 light-years

* 210K to 480K years from now: Vega (α Lyr) | Approx Max Magnitude: −0.81 | Distance at closest approach: 17.2 light-years

* 480K to 990K years from now: Canopus (α Car) | Approx Max Magnitude: −0.40 | Distance at closest approach: 346 light-years

* 990K to 1.15M years from now: Menkalinan (β Aur) | Approx Max Magnitude: ~ −0.4 | Distance at closest approach: ~28.5 light-years

* 1.15M to 1.26M years from now: Delta Scuti (δ Sct) | Approx Max Magnitude: −1.84 | Distance at closest approach: 9.2 light-years

* 1.26M to 1.46M years from now: Gliese 710 | Approx Max Magnitude: −2.7 | Distance at closest approach: ~0.16 light-years

* 1.46M to 2.03M years from now: Eltanin (γ Dra) | Approx Max Magnitude: −1.39 | Distance at closest approach: 27.7 light-years

* 2.03M to 2.67M years from now: Upsilon Librae (υ Lib) | Approx Max Magnitude: −0.46 | 
Distance at closest approach: 30 light-years

* 2.67M to 3.05M years from now: NR Canis Majoris | Approx Max Magnitude: −0.88 | Distance at closest approach: 14 light-years

* 3.05M to 3.87M years from now: Omicron Herculis (ο Her) | Approx Max Magnitude: −0.63 | Distance at closest approach: 44 light-years

* 3.87M to 5.0M years from now: Albireo (β¹ Cyg) | Approx Max Magnitude: −0.52 | Distance at closest approach: ~80 light-years

(Note: The underlying data shows that for the past 5 million years, the title of brightest star passed from Adhara to Mirzam, Canopus, Ascella, Zeta Leporis, Aldebaran, Capella, Canopus, and finally Sirius. Looking into the future, the sequence goes Sirius → Vega → Canopus → β Aur → δ Sct → Gliese 710 → γ Dra, and so on.)
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...Well, that was the answer I got, but in reality, I bet new stars can suddenly burst onto the scene out of nowhere too.

You know, rogue stars wandering through space, just like Arcturus.



That’s all for today!



Tanu-chan💓 TOKYO-TANUKI💛